I'll Love You Long After You're Gone
by PotterHead1996
Summary: 1500 years after Arthur's death at Avalon, Merlin works as a tutor with his housemate Kerry Mason, still waiting for his King. When Merlin's magic starts acting out of control, he is drawn to the lake and is certain Arthur will return. However it seems destiny has other plans, and it's not just the King who returns. Merlin now finds that he has some 21st century explaining to do...
1. The Lake

_**Hey guys! Been working on this Merlin fanfic for ages! It's set 1,500 years after Arthur's death, in the modern day. It's not AU, as all the stuff in the 5 series have happened, just a very long time ago :P It IS Merlin/Arthur, but that doesn't happen for a while, and if you don't like Merthur/what's implied, don't read it :) and please don't hate. Anyway hope you enjoy it! I have LOADS more to come! I have been posting parts of this on the facebook page 'His Name Merlin', as Admin Mara :) Hope you like it!**_

_**-*Disclaimer, I do not own the BBC characters or the previous series storyline etc, just writing what I think happens in the future.*-**_

"Merlin, are you listening to me?"

"Hmm? Oh…yeh!"

Kerry sighed. "No you're not! You always go like this when we come here! It's just a bloody lake, you've seen it loads of times before!"

Merlin turned and smiled at his best friend. He _had_ been here loads of times…not that she knew howmany.

"Sorry, Kerry…you were saying?"

She sighed and shook her head, an affectionate smile on her lips as she looked at his weary expression. "I was saying that for the project, the students should do it in pairs or groups and have a presentation between them?"

"Sounds good…" he mumbled, zoning out again.

"Merlin! Urgh right! Let's get out of here and talk in a Starbucks or at home or something! I'm just not getting through to you whilst we're here and we really need to get this done."

He looked apologetic. "Sorry…I just…this lake spaces me out, you know?"

Kerry laughed and rose to her feet, holding her hand out to him. "Yeh, I know alright!"

Merlin smiled up at her again and took her offered hand. They made their way back to the car park like that, hand in hand.

Any strangers who saw them may have thought that they were a couple but the truth was that they were actually just very good friends, nothing more.

In fact Kerry Mason and Merlin Emrys shared a three bedroom house (in a totally platonic way). Their families had known each other forever! The Mason family had always been friends with the Emrys family, but Kerry could only vaguely remember Merlin's father. He'd been friends with her parents, but had gone away travelling whilst she was a toddler and then several years later, his son had moved to the town. Kerry could never quite get over how alike father and son were, in terms of character and looks.

It was through university and long days in the library that Merlin, Kerry and her step-brother Sam had become friends, Merlin had helped her out with her essays, his extensive knowledge of history being a great help, but no romance had ever blossomed between them (as all the other students had imagined it to). And Merlin and Sam were good friends, though he wasn't as close to Sam as he was with Kerry.

After graduating and having the odd job here and there, Merlin and Kerry now worked together at the university, teaching extra classes that were just for the sake of education, and not part of a degree. Merlin Emrys taught extra history classes (his knowledge of the history of Great Britain had no equal in the entire country) and Kerry also helped with extra history, but did some geography too. What was odd about Mr Emrys was his young age. He was only 26 yet he had such an extensive knowledge of history already, and to be tutoring classes at a university level at his age, well, people gave him lot of respect.

About a year or two later after getting their jobs at the university, they lived and worked together as friends and were now collaborating for a project that they were both doing with the students.

"So what legends should they work on?" Merlin asked in an attempt to focus his mind.

"Oh I dunno…Greek, Celtic, Roman, Arthurian-" Merlin's hand tightened in hers a little.

"I like the idea of Roman or Celtic." He said, trying to smile. Kerry glanced at him. She'd never understood his strange Arthurian aversion. Merlin knew a lot about the topic, this she knew, yet he never liked to speak about it. Maybe he just didn't believe in it and thought it was a children's story. Funny though as he was named after the famous Arthurian warlock, a fact she'd once teased him about. He'd not liked that. At all.

"Fine, Roman or Celtic it is…" she sighed, letting go of his hand to rummage in her bag for her car keys.

Merlin folded his arms and leant lazily on the bonnet, looking back at the lake they'd just been sat by. Children ran around playing tag or some such game, whilst parents queued by the little ice-cream shop. Couples lounged against each other in the shade with books and snacks in hand as a bunch of hikers trekked past. Lake Avalon was a popular tourist attraction, as it had been for a number of years now. Merlin could remember decades back, when the money-spinning potential of the beautiful lake had been realised. Initially he wasn't too keen on the idea of his precious lake becoming a tourist attraction, but then after several years of its growing popularity he thought that as long as they did nothing to the actual lake, Merlin didn't mind how popular it became.

Since he and Kerry had become friends, they'd spent one Saturday a month (if they could find the time) at the Lake. She knew he grew quiet and ever so slightly morose whenever they came, but this was the one thing he ever asked to do, and he was such a good friend to her that she couldn't refuse him.

"Ah!" Kerry exclaimed then, "found the little bugger!" and she produced the car key with a flourish. Merlin, with one last glance at the lake, trudged round to the passenger seat and waited till the door clicked open before climbing in.

Several boring weeks passed. It was mid-March now and the students had been getting on with their projects very well; the weather, as usual had been consistently rainy when Merlin started having headaches.

At first they were only the odd niggling ones that came and went. He found that the modern medicines like paracetamol helped a great deal, that was one thing Merlin loved about this century – the medical advancements.

But as days became weeks they intensified, so that the average painkillers didn't even mute the pain. It was becoming a problem in class as he found he often had to pause to sit down, rub his temples and squeeze his eyes shut for a few minutes. Kerry was concerned and forced him to go to the doctor, who just prescribed some stronger painkillers, which helped initially but after a few days stopped muting the agony that just seemed to keep growing. Merlin, somewhat annoyed and reluctant, was referred to specialists who after many tests, could find no physical fault with his health and couldn't tell why Merlin was plagued by these splitting headaches.

To his great displeasure, the university ordered him to take some time off work and allow Kerry to substitute his classes. So every morning Merlin was left lying immobile on the sofa or in bed for the entire day with his eyes shut, blinds down and everything that made any sound whatsoever turned off, until Kerry came home and coaxed him to nibble some sandwiches and drink tea.

What disturbed Merlin the most, and what he could tell no one about, was that his magic felt like it was going haywire! Some days he could feel it crackling at his fingertips ready to burst out, and other days it seemed to ripple through his whole body, making him feel nauseous. But the worst was when the pain was concentrated right behind his eyes, so that he daren't open them at all for a whole day in case he couldn't control a sudden outburst of power, which only added to the feeling of trapped magic inside of him.

After two and a half weeks of being stuck indoors feeling like death, Merlin asked Kerry if she'd take him to the lake. In the few hours he'd been able to sleep; his dreams had been bursting with images of Arthur and the old days, filling him with a deep sadness and heartache, but also an odd yet intense craving to be at the lake. It was like he _had_ to go there; he _needed_ to be at the lake.

Not entirely convinced that a trip out was good for Merlin's health especially in the awful weather, Kerry, after a lot of feeble persuasion from her ill best friend, reluctantly agreed. Merlin was relieved; he had to get to the lake and he was in no fit state to drive himself.

That weekend, when Kerry had no classes, they set out to Avalon. It was only about a five-to-ten minute journey by car to the lake and Kerry nearly turned round to take Merlin back home when he moaned with pain from the loud engine and the pelting of rain on the windows which were torture to his ears. But he begged her not to, and shaking her head with worry she continued.

Pulling up in the empty car park, Kerry switched off the engine and looked out through the rain.

"There is literally no one here…I think this is the first time I've ever seen it this quiet." She spoke, slightly awed.

Merlin grimaced, Kerry assumed it was due to the pain, but in actuality he was thinking about the many lonely times he'd been here when there wasn't even a town nearby, let alone tourists.

"I'm going to…just going to head over…to the shore…" he mumbled rubbing his head.

The throbbing in his head right now was the worst it had been since the headaches had started. Every part of his body begged him to ask Kerry to drive them back home so he could crawl into bed, but his mind was screaming at him to get to the lake-side. As for his magic, Merlin could almost feel something physically tugging him out of the car.

"Merlin, I don't think you should get out. Just stay here! Or at least let me help you over, then we'll come straight back!"

"No, Kerry. I'll…I'll be fine I promise! I just need to see it! I'll be back soon okay? Just…stay here."

Kerry frowned. "But it's pouring with rain! You'll catch a cold and that will be two lots of illness!"

Merlin who was already slowly climbing out of the car turned back and smiled.

"Please, Kerry? I'll be okay."

Kerry sent a glare back at him but grabbed her bag from the back seat and pulled a book out. Merlin sensing this was her giving in, heaved himself outside and shut the door, wincing at the loud noise.

Staring round he saw that indeed there was nobody around. This was the first time in decades that the lake had been completely devoid of human life. Not even any hikers were out battling the elements, as he had seen on occasion. Slowly Merlin began hobbling down the path towards the lake, already wet through from the heavy rain.

Everything around him was spinning as the agony and magic building up inside of him grew unbearable. He glanced behind, but he was far enough down the path so that the car park was out of sight.

Turning back around, Merlin stared out at Lake Avalon for a few moments before he felt a strange jolt like an electric shock go through him. With a cry he fell to his knees. Upon opening his eyes, he saw that his hands were emitting a strange glittering gold light, but he had uttered no spell. Shakily he rose to his feet and stumbled forward to the lake's edge, pain and magic coursing through his entire being. Just as he reached the shore he collapsed into the mud again, the rain pouring over him.

Cold water seeped through his clothes until he felt like his bones had turned to ice. With a grunt of effort Merlin lifted himself onto his knees. The intense rainfall had raised the lake's waters ever so slightly and without noticing, Merlin's knees were submerged in the lapping water. Thunder boomed across the sky and lightning struck in the distance. He looked out across the lake, but couldn't see much with the rain blurring his vision.

The island looked more mystic than usual, with fog beginning to envelope it. Another wave of pain surged through him and he cried out as he raised his head to the sky. Then, as the rain fell onto his face, he felt it.

Something was coming. Something big.

Gradually he became aware of his magic; he could feel it welling up inside him at his fingertips and behind his eyes.

And then he felt something snap inside of him. Lifting his hands to the dark sky, he felt the magic brim over and practically explode out from him. Such power was flowing through the ancient young warlock and into the air, the lake, the rain, the ground. Words from the Old Religion, words he'd never uttered before poured out from his mouth; he had no control over it. His normal quiet and gentle voice was now almost a roar, a cry to the gods, an unearthly yell that contended with the thunder and lightning booming around him.

He could feel himself calling back through the past to Arthur, visions of his best friend and king assaulting him as his voice continued shouting into the storm.

And then as quickly as the thunder and lightning had arrived, it seemed to stop, as did Merlin's voice.

A ray of golden sunshine gleamed through the dark clouds, bathing Merlin, the lake and the island in warm light. For a moments all grew still and peaceful as the sun warmed his damp skin. Silence fell; the only audible sound was of Merlin's own ragged breathing. He looked around in confusion and ran a hand through his damp black hair, still in shock. The headache was gone, his magic felt normal, in fact everything about him felt great! But what the hell had just happened?!

Merlin sensed rather than knew that something important had just occurred. And he'd never wished for Gaius's or even Kilgharrah's advice more than at that moment.

The lake was still and calm and the island seemed completely normal, the unsettling mist gone. Merlin's rapid breathing slowed down and he rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand, images of Arthur still burned into his retinas.

Standing up slowly, he looked around. It looked like nothing had happened, except a great downpour of rain. He squinted into the sun, and then back at the lake. There was still no one there. Heaving a sigh, Merlin turned and trudged back to the car park, utterly mud-covered and soaked…and very confused.

Kerry was standing by the car waiting when a very wet and cold looking Merlin rounded the corner.

"Oh Merlin! I told you!" she ran round to the boot of the car and grabbed a blanket from inside before jogging over and wrapping it round his shivering frame. Oddly enough he had one of his endearing smiles on his face.

"I feel so much better, Kerry. My headache's completely gone!"

She blinked at him. "Gone? Wh- what do you mean 'gone'? It can't just go...can it?"

He winked impishly. "Apparently so!" and with that he climbed into the car, leaving a slightly confused Kerry standing outside.

Back at the house Merlin felt good, _really_ good! He took a quick shower before turning on some music and dancing round the kitchen. At one point he was singing (rather loudly) along to one of his favourite songs, 'You're the Voice' by John Farnham, doing all sorts of little actions whilst he made some lunch for them both. He made Kerry sing the 'woooah's with him before he let her have her meal. Shaking her head, slightly baffled, she ate the rather lovely Caesar salad. What on earth had happened to him at the lake?

"Let's go into town this afternoon! Or go for a bike ride! Or paint the spare room! Or visit the castle ruins up on the hill!"

He was _so_ wired, his entire face grinning excitedly like a little kid. There were several things she'd needed to do to prepare for the classes next week, but having Merlin back to his old self again and so happy, changed her mind.

"Why don't we do them all?"

Astonished that she so quickly agreed, Merlin blinked once before breaking into another large grin.

So during the next few hours, Merlin and Kerry cycled to the castle ruins, then into town, bought some paint at a DIY shop and arrived back home in time to paint the room and have a paint-fight in the process.

By eight o'clock in the evening, Kerry was covered in paint and giggling like she was five years old. She announced she was going to take a long bath.

Merlin wandered back downstairs and grabbed himself a glass of water from the kitchen before opening the back door to let some cool air in.

Wind gently tossed his hair about and into his eyes as he peered out towards the setting sun. He was glad they'd got a house that wasn't completely enclosed by large, dark buildings. That would have suffocated him. Thankfully it was a nice area they lived in; average looking houses with decent sized back gardens, not too far from the university, not too close to student residences, and a short journey to the lake, which Merlin liked.

Inhaling deeply, his mind wandered to the events of the morning. What _had_ happened? His magic was now back to normal, he proved this in the next few minutes by summoning his mobile from the kitchen to check the time. He lazily caught the device as it flew to him. After slipping his phone into his pocket, he downed the glass of water and sent it back into the house before leaning over and rubbing the dust and paint from his hair.

And that's when he heard it.

_Emrys…_

He stood up straight. What the hell was that? It couldn't be what he thought it was…could it? His ocean-blue coloured eyes darted about, looking to see if anyone was there.

"Kerry?" he called into the house but he could only hear the radio in the kitchen, no one else was around.

_Emrys…_

The voice on the wind came again. A bright image of Lake Avalon suddenly flashed into his mind, causing him to stagger in surprise. It was as if someone had sent him the vision, _making_ him think of it and again he felt the need to be by the lake.

He jogged up the stairs and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Kerry, I'm just popping out to er…get some stuff from the shops…"

Her muffled voice came through the door.

"Mm-kay. Ooh can you get me some chocolate? Pretty please?"

Merlin barely heard her as he already halfway down the stairs. He called back to her passively, "Yeh sure whatever, see you in a bit."

After grabbing his coat he went outside and climbed into the car. Soon enough he was speeding on his way to the Lake.

Usually Merlin never sped in a car, it caused too much hassle and as for handing his licence over to be checked, that caused an unnecessary feeling of guilt and panic; he hated that all his forms of ID were technically fake.

In all fairness they had to be, seeing as he'd been around since medieval times. It meant he had no legitimate birth certificate, no relatives and his original hometown no longer existed. The amount of lies he'd spun to gain ID hurt his head, especially when people asked him about his life and family. To anyone interested, his parents had died whilst travelling when he was young, he had no known relatives and his ancestors were from this town.

Apart from his travels round the globe over the years, Merlin had always lived in this area, moving into the town when it was built so that he could remain near to the lake, keeping himself to himself. But with Kerry's family it was a little bit different. He'd always been friends with them and had known them for a _long_ time. In fact he saw it as his responsibility to look out for them.

However the fact that he was immortal meant that every several decades he would have to pretend to move away, or would sometimes fake his own death. Then, soon enough his 'long lost son' would return to his hometown years later. Of course he was the spitting image of his father...and grandfather. In fact Kerry had always assumed that the man standing next to her grandfather in the black and white photograph on their dining room wall was _Merlin's _grandfather. How could she know that it was actually Merlin himself?

Eventually Merlin pulled into the lake's car park. It was still unearthly quiet, as if no one had been near it all day which was odd, given the glorious sunshine that had appeared after this morning's downpour.

He cut off the car's engine and slowly climbed out, into perfect silence. No cars were passing on the nearby road, there were no planes flying overhead, in fact even the birds were silent. Running a hand through his messy dark hair, he glanced all around the empty space. With a shrug, he slowly made his way down to the lake, his trainers crunching against the dusty path.

Upon reaching the shore, Merlin immediately noticed someone had been there; there were deep footprints all around in the mud, recent ones, but not the sort of marks he may have left from the morning. These weren't made by trainers; they were bigger, wider and had no customary grip marks. Frowning, he knelt down to get a closer look. As he did so, he heard a noise from the trees nearby: the scuff of a boot against a rock.

Immediately he was back on his feet and moving cautiously towards the noise. He clenched his fists before flexing his fingers, ready to counter an attack, but no more sound came. After waiting in silence for about five minutes, Merlin decided that it had been nothing. With one more glance around at the lake, he moved away back towards the path.

Someone sprung out from the foliage and before Merlin could turn in surprise, an arm was suddenly around his neck holding him a locked position, causing his air supply to not be entirely cut off, but definitely become restricted. Then he felt something that he'd not felt for many _many_ years. The point of a sword resting against his back.

"Who are you?! And where am I?!" an angry voice growled in his ear. Merlin felt his head spin and his vision blur for a second or two. The voice. _The voice_! He'd thought he'd never hear _THAT_ voice ever again!

"Gwaine?!" he sputtered out. "What the _hell?!"_


	2. The Knight

_**Here we are part two! Thanks for all the follows and lovely reviews from the first chapter! :D Hope you like this part as much as the others! :) xxx**_

_***Disclaimer – I do not own the BBC characters, or any previous storylines etc, just writing my perspective of what happens in the future***_

"Merlin?! Is that…?" the arm immediately let go and promptly spun him round by the shoulder.

There was the confirmation. Sir Gwaine stood before him, in his Knight's attire, an incredulous look on his face. "By the dragons, Merlin! What are you doing here, man?" immediately Merlin was pulled into a tight hug. He returned the embrace, still in shock. Gwaine. Gwaine was here! How? Why?

"Where on earth…" Gwaine pulled back, a grin on his face. It slowly fell as he then he took in Merlin's clothing; a dark green hoody with 'Harry Potter!' plastered across the front in large lettering, grey baggy jeans and old scruffy trainers. "What in the name of dragons are you wearing, Merlin?" Confused and worried chocolate brown eyes met the warlock's deep blue ones. "Where's Arthur? Did you manage to help him? I thought I'd failed him! Where's Perce? Is he alright?! Where is he? Where are we?! Wait, Morgana what happened to her…what happened to Percival? Damn it, Merlin will you answer me?!" He quickly sheathed his sword and looking pleadingly into Merlin's eyes.

Merlin shook himself out of his confused stupor. "Gwaine I don't know what to say…I hardly know how to tell you this…or where to begin…just er…sit down for a moment, will you?"

Slowly Gwaine lowered himself to sit on a nearby fallen tree trunk. Several minutes passed with Merlin pacing and running his hand anxiously through his hair or rubbing his jaw, which happened to have quite a bit of stubble growing on it, he'd not been able to shave for a while.

"Listen Gwaine…this is going to be hard for you to hear or believe…but I swear to you, it is all true."

A frown appeared on the handsome knight's face. "Merlin, you're beginning to worry me…what is it, what's happened? Shouldn't we get back to Camelot? You could tell me on the journey."

He rose to his feet but Merlin practically shouted at him. "No! Stop! Just…sorry…just sit down…please?" Gwaine's expression was now full of unease, but nonetheless he sat back on the log.

"Well you'd better start explaining…and soon, I'm getting concerned here! What's with the weird clothes anyway?"

Merlin waved his hand impatiently, dismissing the question for now. "I'm going to need you to remain calm throughout this…and allow me a bit of thinking space, I'm just as confused as to what's happened as you are, okay?" Gwaine nodded slowly. "Right…what can you remember?"

He shrugged. "The last I remember is you were helping Arthur get to Avalon…Perce and I tried to kill Morgana but…she had other plans. She tortured me into telling her where you were heading and then I passed out, at least I think I did. Merlin I'm so sorry! I failed Arthur!" Gwaine buried his face in his hands.

Merlin shook his head fervently. "No, you did nothing of the sort, Morgana is gone now. I…well let's just say I took care of her." He took a deep breath. "This isn't going to be easy for you to hear Gwaine but…"

The man looked up and pulled his eyebrows down in confusion. "But what?"

"You d-…." He couldn't get the word out, sighing in frustration he lowered himself to Gwaine's eye level and drew another shaky breath. "You died. You've been dead for about one and a half thousand years…Arthur…he died at Avalon, I'm the one who failed, there was nothing I could do for him. But I was told he would return one day…and I've been wandering the earth since…waiting for him. For one and a half thousand years."

Gwaine blinked once before bursting into laughter, Merlin rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand. "Gwaine, listen to me-"

"You've been on the cider haven't you, Merlin? That would explain the stupid clothes! Ah you had me going there, you really did! 'One-and-a-half-thousand years, Gwaine', tell me your secret, Merlin! You look good for a man nearing his second millennia!"

Merlin glared in frustration. "I have magic."

Gwaine continued to howl in laughter for a few seconds more, before Merlin's words registered. He abruptly stopped his hysterics. "Sorry, say that again?"

"I have magic. I'm a sorcerer, Gwaine." He spoke gently before waving his hand towards the lake, uttering some words from the Old Religion. A horse made of water rose out of the surface and then crashed back down. The rippling water had fully settled and was once again still and silent before Gwaine's quiet voice came.

"Does…does Arthur know?"

The warlock sighed. "He did. I told him before I took him to Avalon. But not even my magic could save him…he's truly dead, Gwaine, I wasn't lying. Arthur died in my arms; I gave him a King's funeral on the lake. That was one and half thousand years ago but I didn't die, goodness knows I tried to…I've gone through a lot." He paused to ponder quietly for a moment or two before continuing. "This is the year 2013. I don't know why you're here, but…but you are. Camelot no longer exists; in fact Albion is called 'England' now, part of a United Kingdom…like Arthur always wanted. Everyone and everything else we knew is gone."

He placed his hand on Gwaine's shoulder. The man who Merlin had always known to chatter endlessly was silent for a full ten minutes, staring at the floor. Suddenly he gripped Merlin's hoody and pulled him close.

"Swear to it. Swear to me you are telling the truth, Merlin or so help me, friend that you are, I'll run you through with my sword. This is not a funny prank." He snarled. Merlin had never seen Gwaine angry like this before, but he understood why.

"I swear to it. I wouldn't make this up, you know me, I'm a terrible liar! I start sweating, my vision blurs, my brain stops working…"

Gwaine looked into his eyes for a moment more before letting him go, giving a weak smile. "No change there then." Merlin's mind instantly flashed up an image of Arthur. He could remember a time when they'd had a similar conversation…

"Of course," he agreed, glad that Gwaine could still manage to tease, "But I honestly have no idea why you're here Gwaine, I may need to do some research…"

The poor, out of place knight nodded before rising to his feet. Merlin stood with him.

"Well if there's no Camelot…where the hell is the nearest tavern? I'm going to need something to drink…something strong…" Merlin smiled. If anyone could cope with news this big, it was Gwaine.

"Pub. They're called pubs now, short for 'public house'. Very rarely is the word 'tavern' used…except maybe by a few old souls in Devon or somewhere deep in the West Country."

"Sorry, where?"

"Ah…right…you have a lot to learn. Anyway I think we'll skip going to a pub, tonight Gwaine. Too much, too soon. I'll take you to my house; I think I may have something for you there. You look like you could do with a rest…and a change of clothing…"

Gwaine looked down at Merlin's hoody. "Nothing like what you have on, I hope! I presume with this attire you're still single?" he chuckled at his own teasing. Merlin shoved his arm in a friendly manner.

"You'll be alright, Gwaine, I know you will." The man nodded, his wavy shoulder-length hair bobbing as he did so.

"I hope so, Merlin, I really hope so."

Merlin noticed Gwaine's attempt at keeping a positive attitude and composure on the short walk up the path. He could see the knight was trying hard to keep his calm demeanour but knew that inside, he was probably screaming. Perhaps a sleeping spell would do him good tonight.

Rounding the corner, Gwaine rapidly ground to a halt. His hand moved slowly to the hilt of his sword.

"Stay…very still…don't move. I don't think it's seen us yet…" Merlin followed Gwaine's eyes and saw what had caused the knight to draw his sword. He laughed, tears forming in his eyes. Gwaine batted at his arm, "Shush, man! Do you want us to get killed? Oh…sorry…I forgot…you er…can't die. Hush, anyway! I don't want to die; I've only just come back! What a waste!"

Merlin shook his head. "No Gwaine. It's alright! This is what is used as transport nowadays. This is the modern horse!"

With a suspicious frown, Merlin's old friend moved closer to the car. He jabbed at the silver bonnet with his sword. "No! Don't do that!" Merlin exclaimed running over, causing Gwaine to yelp and hold his sword out towards the vehicle defensively. "Aw you've scratched it now look! Oh never mind." Turning back around, he noticed Gwaine's position and smiled. "It's quite alright. It isn't alive; it's not going to attack you. Think of a horse-drawn cart; now imagine the horse is inside here," he pointed at the bonnet, "It's called a car. It gets you to places much quicker than walking...or horse-riding."

Gwaine approached it doubtfully, taking a glove off to feel the cool metal. "It's so…shiny…where does this armour come from? I must get some!"

Merlin shook his head. This world would take a lot of explaining. He opened the car door as gently as he could, trying not to panic him. "You sit inside, Gwaine," Merlin nodded to the seat when Gwaine did nothing but stand there, looking blank. "And you may want to give me your sword; otherwise it's going to be very difficult to sit down. Don't worry; I'll put it somewhere safe." Merlin took the sword that was offered to him and put it onto the back seat. Carefully and cautiously, Gwaine lowered himself into the vehicle. "I'm going to shut the door now, don't panic okay? I'll walk round and sit in the other seat."

And he did just that, Gwaine jumping ever so slightly when Merlin closed his door and again when the other one opened. "Right. You'll need to put the safety belt on uh…pass me that thing by your head…" eventually after a lot of pointing to the buckle and plenty of tugging on the belt, Gwaine was securely strapped in.

Merlin gently and briefly explained how the car would work, and move and finally they set off, Merlin driving extremely slowly for Gwaine's sake.

* * *

><p>Every time another car zoomed past, the brave knight would jump in his seat. Merlin felt awful for him. This world was so different to Camelot; he'd not really noticed the changes as they'd all been gradual for him, but to someone whose last memory of this area was woodland, knights and mythical creatures it must be so difficult.<p>

"Gwaine…just so you're not overwhelmed, perhaps you should cover your eyes when we enter the town…? It's very different to Camelot…I'll show you round another time, yeh?"

He heaved a sigh but covered his eyes as they drove, arriving a short while later at Merlin's home. Gwaine lowered his hands and stared up at the brick house in utter bewilderment.

"It's so…the walls…it's tall." He opened and shut his mouth like a goldfish. Merlin nodded whilst walking to the door and fiddled with his keys. He was about to open the door when he suddenly remembered. He turned to Gwaine who was stood right behind him. Merlin jumped a little at the other man's sudden proximity.

"Ah er…Gwaine, personal space, mate. Um anyway I should tell you this now. This house, I live in and share it with another person. She's called Kerry."

Gwaine's eyebrows rose at that. "She? Are you and…Kerry wed?"

Merlin laughed out loud, the idea of Kerry and him, married! "No! Not at all, we're just good friends."

Gwaine grinned cheekily and winked at Merlin. "I see, I see. Never thought you'd get a girl, Merlin."

Merlin blushed and shook his head quickly. "No no, I'm not…we're not…she's just a friend! A man and woman living in the same house and not being married isn't really 'frowned upon' any more. It's actually quite normal. House-sharing, co-habitation, just some more things you'll have to learn." He turned to the door again with a rueful smile before thinking of something else. "Gwaine…she doesn't know about my magic…well in all honesty she doesn't really know me. She thinks I'm a completely ordinary person of only 26. Please don't mention Camelot…or Arthur. I'll answer any questions about you alright?"

"You live with this woman and she doesn't know about your magic?"

"Well I worked all those years for Arthur and he didn't either."

Gwaine looked at the ground awkwardly. He was still unused to the idea of Merlin being a sorcerer. With a last glance at the knight, Merlin opened the door.

"Kerry?" he called.

"Hey sweetie! Did you get me choc-" but the sentence wasn't finished, for Kerry let out a shriek.

Merlin and Kerry had lived with each other for quite a few years, first in student halls, and now in their own home. They had established a long while ago that there would never be any romantic relationship between them and it hadn't taken long before they both saw each other as siblings, besides Kerry had never known Merlin to have a girlfriend, so she assumed that he wasn't really into girls.

This meant they could be comfortable in their own home and around each other without feeling any awkwardness or having much formality between them.

So it was perfectly normal for Kerry to appear at the top of the stairs from the bathroom after just vacating her long and luxurious bath wearing just her underwear with her hair wrapped in a towel. Normally Merlin wouldn't notice or care and Kerry was the same, however Kerry wasn't at all expecting the tall and very handsome man, who was standing next to Merlin with his eyes open wide in shock, to be there.

With a shriek she fled to her bedroom. "MERLIN EMRYS! YOU GET HERE RIGHT NOW!" she yelled.

"Oh great!" Merlin ran his hand through his hair, "Gwaine, could you um…do you want to er…"

"I'll stay here." Gwaine mumbled, crimson red. Whilst he'd seen his fair share of women in the past, he had not expected the women of this new era to walk around so…undressed.

Merlin nodded his thanks and silently hoped that the overwhelmed man would be okay. He took the stairs three at a time and knocked on Kerry's door.

"Get in here!" she hissed. Opening the door a crack, he slipped in. She was standing there, wrapped in a fluffy dressing gown, and had very flushed cheeks. Some hair had slipped out from underneath the towel and was dripping onto the fluffy material.

"Merlin Emrys when you decide to suddenly bring home a guest you call me first!"

"Look, I'm sorry Kerry – I thought you'd be out of the bath and dressed…man how long were you in there?"

"That's irrelevant! You tell me, or phone and tell me that you've got a friend coming home with you so I don't walk out in my underwear like that!"

Merlin tried to keep his smile hidden, with little avail. Kerry swatted feebly at his head before laughing a little herself. "Who is he anyway?"

Merlin took a deep breath. He'd been practising in his head on the way home what to tell Kerry.

"He's an old friend of mine and just needs a place to crash for a while. He's uh…an actor in an historical re-enactment group. Yeh he likes to stay in character, finds it easier…hence the chainmail. He'll act and talk weird, but only cause he wants the practice…" he waited, not breathing, whilst he watched Kerry's face. He was a terrible liar, but to his surprise Kerry smiled and nodded.

"Sure, let me get dressed and I'll come down and introduce myself…and apologise." She raised an eyebrow at Merlin at the last word. Raising his hand to rub the back of his neck, he looked at the floor. "Yeh…sorry I didn't warn you about him coming over, didn't know myself until a short while ago…"

"Oh it's alright now. Did you get me chocolate?"

One look at his guilty face told her. "Urgh, clotpole! Well at least go and make me a cup of tea!" she gave him a gentle shove towards the door. Merlin smiled at her.

"Just remember when you introduce yourself, he'll act like he's from Camelot or something!" and with a short, forced laugh he wandered out and downstairs.

Camelot? Merlin never mentioned anything linked with the Arthurian legend, not even during his classes, he left that to her. With a shake of her head, she dismissed it and grabbed some clothes.


	3. The Fort

_**Off to America (for the first time ever eek!) on Monday, just for the week, so I'll upload a longer section for ya'll to read (see? Trying out the lingo already) ;) Hope you enjoy this bit!**_

Merlin was partway through explaining the modern kitchen to Gwaine when he heard Kerry on the stairs. Clearing his throat, he mouthed to the knight "Stay calm!"

She entered the kitchen and a little red coloured her cheeks again as she glanced over at Gwaine.

"Hi, I'm Kerry, Merlin's housemate and honorary sister." She looked at Gwaine expectantly, who just blinked in return. Merlin jumped in.

"This is er…Gwaine, a good friend of mine."

She frowned slightly at the name. "Gwaine…like Sir Gwaine, Arthur's knight?"

Gwaine looked over to Merlin in horror, thinking she'd guessed his real identity.

"Er yes like I said, he likes to stay in character. He's playing one of the knights in a re-enactment."

He looked at Gwaine and silently begged him to not say or do anything that would make Kerry suspicious.

Gwaine rose to his feet and walked over to her before taking her hand and raising it to his lips, bowing ever so slightly. "My lady. It is an honour to meet you," he said and then straightened again and looked over to Merlin questioningly. He hadn't done anything out of the ordinary had he? Surely common courtesy such as that had not disappeared since Camelot times?

Kerry was a little flustered but then gathered her wits. "Very good! Just like a real knight, being so chivalrous. Perhaps you could teach Merlin here a lesson or two." She laughed. "What re-enactment group are you with?" she asked then. His eyes flew wide and he looked over to Merlin again, panicking.

"Er…one in Ireland, hence the accent!" the warlock piped up; he knew Kerry had never been there and would therefore not know any sort of re-enactment group from that area. She nodded, not noticing the panic and tension written on both men's faces.

Kerry smiled at Gwaine, politely. "I see Merlin hasn't bothered to offer you a drink, or make me one," she narrowed her eyes at Merlin before turning to the kettle. "Tea or coffee?"

Gwaine looked perplexed. What was she asking of him? He didn't understand the question and glanced over towards Merlin who was making a 'T' sign with his hands, and mouthing the word desperately at him and replied with "Tea". He watched in bemusement as Kerry moved around the kitchen, grabbing strange looking tankards and suspicious looking small bags filled with dark leaves. Perhaps she was a sorceress too, or possibly an alchemist like Gaius. Soon she placed a steaming cup in front of him filled with a light brown liquid. Gwaine realised that holding the cup would be a difficult task with his leather gloves on so he took them off and touched the mug. He gave a yelp as he felt just how hot the surface was.

"Careful…it's hot…" Kerry warned, a little too late. Once the tea had cooled a little and with a nod of encouragement from Merlin the knight took a sip of the warm beverage.

"Well it's not ale, I'll tell you that! But," another sip, "it's not bad, not bad at all!"

Kerry looked between Merlin's relieved face and Gwaine's tea-intrigued one. "Right well I'm going to bed, it's late. Merlin, don't forget to call the university to tell them you're better tomorrow. Goodnight Merlin, Gwaine."

"Night, Kerry." Merlin glanced over towards her and then back to Gwaine, giving him a meaningful incline of the head.

"Oh er…goodnight, Kerry."

* * *

><p>Once Merlin was sure Kerry had settled down in her room he led Gwaine upstairs to his own room.<p>

"You can't wear that armour to bed, and I know I'm not exactly your size…" the warlock glanced at the taller and more muscular man standing beside him, "but here, these should be alright for sleeping in. They're Kerry's step-brother, Sam's pyjamas. He left them here last time he came to stay."

"Pyjamas? Odd name for clothes!" Gwaine chuckled as Merlin moved over to help him with his armour. Unbuckling the leather straps and heaving the chainmail off hurt the young warlock, not physically but emotionally. He was fully aware that he'd not done this laborious task since he'd done it for Arthur and felt the familiar pang in his chest. Why was Gwaine here? Why wasn't it Arthur? He was told Arthur would return, not anyone else.

Once the knight was armour-less and clothed in a dark red t-shirt with a small Tardis picture on and plain grey jogging bottoms, he looked quite different. All of Merlin's memories of the knights and Arthur were in medieval style clothes or chainmail. To see Gwaine in 21st century lounge clothes made him smile a little. Gwaine stared at himself in Merlin's mirror that hung on the wall, tilting his head from side to side.

"I have to say Merlin, however odd these clothes are…they are extremely comfortable! But what's this little blue box on here?" he pointed to the picture of the Tardis on his chest.

Merlin smiled to himself. "A story for another time, Gwaine. I'll show you to your room." He walked Gwaine to the spare room that had been painted that evening, it was still drying and smelt a little, so Merlin sighed and cast a spell. The odour disappeared and the paint immediately became dry. Gwaine shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably behind the warlock. Ignoring the other man's discomfort, Merlin cast another spell to put all the furniture that was piled away from the walls back into place.

Gwaine wandered over to the large double bed and sat down, his eyes widening at the soft material.

"This is heavenly! Wish we'd had these sort of beds back in Camelot…back home…" his eyes glazed over and Merlin walked over to him, sitting beside him on the bed.

"Listen, Gwaine...it's going to be tough getting used to this world, but…it won't be impossible. I'll help you as much as I can, I promise. There are also many questions that I'm not sure about myself but I swear I will try my utmost to find an explanation." Gwaine nodded slowly, and Merlin patted his back. "I know you're a little wary of my magic…but I think I should put a sleeping spell on you, just to help you rest. Your mind will be racing all night otherwise and you'll really need the sleep." Brown curls bounced gently as Gwaine nodded his agreement. "I suppose you're right. Okay, do your stuff!" Merlin rose to his feet as the knight clambered into the most comfortable bed he'd ever been in. The sorcerer muttered some strange words and his eyes flashed gold. Immediately Gwaine felt his brain go a little fuzzy and his eyelids began to droop. One question that had been niggling at his mind all evening suddenly rose to the surface. "Merlin," he mumbled as sleep started to overpower him.

"Yes?"

"I know you missed Arthur and all…but did you miss me?…"

Merlin chuckled quietly to himself from the doorway as he flipped the light switch. Gwaine, on the brink of unconsciousness, didn't even flinch at the display of electricity as he had been doing since he'd arrived at Merlin's home. "Very much. Goodnight, Gwaine." But only a soft snore was Merlin's reply. Gently he closed the door and stood on the landing on his own in the dark. Running his hand through his hair (he was doing that quite a lot recently) Merlin let out a deep breath.

What on earth had happened?

* * *

><p>Back in his room Merlin sat on the floor, leaning against his bed. He reached underneath and his fingers brushed against the familiar wooden box. Quietly he pulled it out and placed it onto his lap. He looked down at it and sighed. It had been quite some time since he'd had this box out.<p>

Slowly, Merlin opened the lid and looked down at the contents. Taking great care, he reached in and pulled out a faded blue shirt. He laid it out onto the floor, took out a brown jacket from the box and placed it down next to the shirt. Finally he removed the red neckerchief and held it in his hands, just looking at it. They were all beginning to fade again, the material spidery and thin. His eyes flashed gold and the clothing gradually replenished itself until it looked almost like it had a millennia-and-a-half ago.

Merlin wasn't really one for hoarding anything of sentimental value, but these…he'd never been able to throw these away. And seeing as after a while they would fade and grow old, Merlin had been using his magic to keep them from completely disappearing.

His hand hovered over the blue shirt, wavering slightly. Finally deciding to pick it up, he buried his face in the fabric. Maybe it was the magic's effects on it or maybe it was his imagination but Merlin swore it still smelt faintly of Arthur, from when the warlock had cradled his king on the shores of Avalon.

'Time heals everything'. That was a popular saying these days. But Merlin's wound had never healed. The pain had dulled a little over the many years, but it was still there.

Every now and then, the wound would reopen and Merlin would find himself drowning in overwhelming grief, loneliness, and something akin to anger. That was when he couldn't face the world any longer, when it seemed that Arthur was never going to rise and that he was trapped on this world, waiting for someone who would never come.

The first few times this had happened Merlin had been desperate, alone and empty. It felt like there was nothing of importance left in this world, Arthur wasn't going to come back and Merlin found he had no reason to continue.

One time he'd tried to drown himself in the lake, but had woken hours later on the shore, alive. Another time he'd taken a sword to himself. He finally thought that he'd done it this time and that the misery would be over as he lay bleeding on the ground. But again he'd woken up later, very much alive.

At first he reasoned that it must be his fault for doing something wrong, or some kind person kept finding him and saving him, but after several more attempts he realised it. He wasn't going to die.

Whether this meant that he still had his destiny to fulfil and that Arthur would indeed rise, or just because he was an extremely powerful sorcerer, he didn't know.

Once this had been ascertained, Merlin gave up and when the overpowering misery came over him, he would retreat somewhere for a while until it passed, shutting out the world. He wouldn't eat, he barely slept and when he finally returned to the real world, it looked as if he'd been suffering from some horrific illness. But he'd not had one of these really bad 'episodes' for a two and a quarter centuries.

However during these sad occasions, it wasn't just Arthur he mourned over, he also mourned for everyone else. Gaius, Gwen, the other knights, his mother, they were all gone now too and Merlin was left alone. He mourned over his long life that was the bane of his existence. For hundreds and thousands of years, men and women had searched for ways of prolonging life and still continued to do so, dreaming of immortality but in all honesty, immortality wasn't all it's cracked up to be. You just grew tired, so bone-tired of the never ending days, of never ending time. There comes a point where you are ready to die, to pass away from this world, but if you reach that point and keep living, it drains you. And Merlin felt drained.

With a sigh he placed the clothing back into the small chest and pushed it back under the bed. He wasn't alone any more now. Gwaine was back for some unknown reason, and Merlin vowed to himself that he would protect and look out for the man who was one of his best friends. And he would also find out why the hell Sir Gwaine was here in the first place.

* * *

><p>"Psst, Merlin! Wake up you lazy sod. Here's a cup of coffee, I've got to dash to work now. Don't forget to call the uni today! By the way, does Gwaine drink coffee? I made him a cup but just wondered…"<p>

"Mmm…what?..." Merlin rolled over under the thick duvet to face Kerry, then his eyes widened as he registered what she'd just said, "No don't give coffee to Gwaine! He er…doesn't like it! Just let him sleep."

"Sleep? He's downstairs watching the telly. You were right about the 'in character' thing by the way; acted as if he'd never seen one. Jumped about like a mad-man asking me 'what sort of sorcery it was', and 'where were the tiny people in the box?' But he's watching it now, mesmerised like a child, so I just left him to it."

The sleepy raven haired man suddenly sat bolt upright and his head connected with Kerry's, making a loud crack.

"OW! What the hell-? What did you do that for?!" she clutched at her forehead, spilling the coffee a little as she staggered backwards, her face contorted into a pained grimace.

"Aaah," he groaned in reply, holding his hand to the already forming lump on his head, "sorry didn't realise you were there. He's watching the telly?"

"Yeh, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is on."

"Oh no…." he threw the covers off and raced downstairs, leaving a confused Kerry, with a lump of her own on her head, standing, holding a steaming mug of coffee.

"GWAINE! STOP NO! YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU'LL BE TOO-"

He paused as he ran into the living room. Gwaine was sat, still in his borrowed pyjamas, in the middle of the floor, with all the sofa pillows piled up round him like a fort. Kerry was right. He looked like a total child.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow!" Ron Weasley spoke. Gwaine jumped a little as a light flashed by the rat's head, but ultimately the poor creature remained grey. He let out a chuckle and then noticed Merlin standing there. Kerry walked past, waved at them (still clutching her head) and went out the door to work.

"Merlin! Come here! Look, this box has tiny people living in it. I nearly asked Kerry if it was because of your magic, but then remembered not to say anything about it. And look! Harry too is a wizard, do you know him? Oh and that Lord Voldemort seems like a fiend! He doesn't deserve the noble title of 'Lord'!"

Merlin rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gwaine, I really don't think you should watch anything right now. It could overwhelm you, you have no idea what's happened in the world. You'll be too confused!"

"Nonsense! I am a knight of Camelot! And we can take anything. Besides, this is very interesting. I must know what happens to Harry. I hope he kills this 'Lord Voldemort' soon!"

Merlin sighed. "Don't hold your breath!" he muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. What on earth are you sitting in?"

Gwaine looked round at his pillow fort and grinned. "Well seeing as Camelot castle has gone, I wanted to make one of my own. Always wanted a castle. And this stuff is much easier and far more comfortable to make it out of! Come on, get in! Then we can see what happens to Harry. They're nearing Hogwarts now, shh!"

Merlin sighed and slouched over to the 'fort'. They spent the next couple of hours watching the film, with Gwaine asking questions every other minute.

Finally when Harry had waved goodbye and the credits began to roll across the screen, Gwaine's mouth hung open.

"What?! Voldemort's not dead? But Merlin, surely Harry must be able to defeat this villain! Take me to this 'Lord' so that I can dispatch of him once and for all!"

With a roll of the eyes, Merlin stood up. "It's just a story Gwaine. And there are seven more movies after this, so there's plenty of time for Harry to 'get him'. If you liked it, then maybe you should read the books one day, when you're more used to this world."

Merlin left Gwaine in his little fort and went to the kitchen to make some bacon sandwiches. He knew the knight had been very fond of them back in Camelot.

As the bacon sizzled away in the pan, Merlin flicked through the newspaper Kerry had left on the counter. Gwaine, following his nose, drifted into the kitchen.

After a few short minutes, Merlin dished up the sandwiches and the knight tucked into them hungrily.

"So tell me what I've missed." He spoke around the food in his mouth

"Hmm?"

"Well a lot of things must have happened in the past millennia that are probably of some importance!"

Merlin pushed the newspaper to the side and looked at Gwaine. "You're right. A lot of things have happened. It's going to take long while to tell you. But I suppose you don't have to know everything in great detail, these days most people don't know a lot about their own country's history, so you'll be ok if there are some gaps in your knowledge. However there are some things that you really will need to know about."

Gwaine wolfed the last of his breakfast down and grinned over at his friend. "Well then, we'd better get started! You don't have any ale now do you?"

Merlin laughed and shook his head. "I promise we'll get you some later, but let's start on the history and culture of Great Britain!"

* * *

><p>For the next week Gwaine learned all about the important events in the history of the world and began to adapt to the modern-day culture. Kerry seemed to get used to his presence as well; he made Merlin laugh more than usual and she liked that. Merlin had a nice laugh that spread the feeling and made you want to join in with him. His whole face lit up; his ocean blue eyes crinkled at the corners, a wide grin spread across his mouth and he made you feel happy too.<p>

Somehow Merlin had managed to procure Gwaine some ID and sort of legal documents, and he made the knight swear on his honour not to tell Kerry.

Things were going smoothly until exactly a week after the strange events at the lake. Merlin was sat watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with a captivated Gwaine when a familiar feeling crept up his spine. He shivered.

_Emrys…_

The voice began to whisper again.

_Emrys…_

For the second time, images of the lake flashed into his mind and he felt the same absurd craving to be there.

"Gwaine…I need you to…come with me. Just for a bit."

"Aw but Merlin! They're just about to drink the polyjuice potion!"

"Gwaine." His voice held a serious tone that the knight could not ignore.

Kerry had gone out for the evening to see Sam in the main town, she'd taken the bus meaning the car was free, which Gwaine was pleased about. So far, apart from watching Harry Potter, Gwaine's favourite modern pass-time was riding in the car and Merlin had promised to teach him at some point how to drive himself; he was greatly anticipating it.

* * *

><p>Eventually Merlin pulled up at the lakeside car park. Again it was eerily quiet.<p>

"Do you feel that?" the warlock whispered.

Gwaine didn't reply immediately, his eyes were darting about as if looking for something.

"Yeh…yeh I feel it."

There was something akin to an electrical charge in the air, and combined with the pregnant silence it was making their hearts thump and Merlin's magic start to crackle.

"Merlin…your hands…" Gwaine's worried voice broke through the other man's silent pondering. Looking down at his hands, Merlin saw the same golden, glittering light they had emitted before, now glowing again.

Quickly he fumbled with the door and practically fell out of the car. He was halfway down the path to the lake by the time Gwaine managed to get out and start after him.

Merlin reached the shore before Gwaine and looked out across the water. Raising his hands, he felt the power go through him. A sort of pulse of magic shot out from his hands and swept across the lake. Gwaine reached him them, just as the warlock's legs gave way and the knight caught him.

"Gwaine…what just happened?" Merlin mumbled, leaning heavily on the taller man.

"I…I really don't know, mate."

Merlin felt drained, but knew that they couldn't leave just yet. "I think perhaps we should wait here for a bit."

Gwaine nodded and carefully lowered Merlin to the ground before plonking himself down next to him.

"What do you think it is we're waiting for?" he asked after several minutes of silence lapsed.

Merlin shrugged but in his mind all he could think about was Arthur. It had to be Arthur this time; Gwaine's raising was an anomaly, maybe even a mistake.

_**There you go! :) See ya in a week! ;) xxx**_


	4. The Lord of the Rings

_**Back from America now! Here you go, put you out of your misery from that cliff-hanger ;) Hope you enjoy this bit too! Still more to come :) xxx**_

After an hour or so of waiting the two men were almost asleep, dozing lightly against each other as it was pretty late.

A soft splash near the shore brought Gwaine back to the present. Straining his eyes he looked over through the darkness to the source of the sound. As his eyes grew used to the gloom he realised what he was looking at. Not what, _who_.

"By the dragons…" he choked out, causing Merlin to stir beside him. In one swift movement Gwaine had leapt to his feet and was racing to the lakeside, knocking Merlin over in his haste.

"Gwaine what are you-"

"PERCIVAL!" Gwaine whooped, pulling the larger and completely bewildered man into a tight embrace.

"Gwaine?" he could hear the confusion and yet the overwhelming happiness in Percival's voice.

Merlin's own eyes adjusted and he saw several other figures nearing Gwaine and Percival in the darkness.

Quickly he muttered a spell and orbs of light flew from his hands, coming to a hover above their heads. Stood before him was Percival (who was standing by Gwaine) and behind them was Leon, Elyan and-

"Gwen!" Merlin exclaimed.

"Oh my goodness! Merlin!" she ran over and fell into his arms, hugging him close to her. Pulling back, Merlin saw the panicked expression on her face and tears forming in her eyes. "Merlin what is this? What's happened?" he opened and shut his mouth, unsure of what to say.

Gwen's brother looked around, frowning. "Where on earth are we? I am_ so_ confused right now!"

"ELYAN!" Gwen shrieked, she'd not noticed his presence until now. She sped over to him, before stopping herself and looking at him suspiciously. "Elyan…is that really you? But you were…" she took a step closer before pulled him into a huge hug, tears streaming down her face. He patted her back soothingly, but he too wore a puzzled expression.

"I don't understand" he spoke softly.

"Merlin, what's going on?" Leon's serious tone came then.

"Oh boy!" the warlock ran his hand through his hair (he would go bald at this rate) "Right. Well…um…welcome to the 21st century!"

When Kerry arrived back home that night, she was greeted by Merlin and Gwaine and four other people crammed into her house. They all wore glassy and slightly scared expressions as they sat in the living room.

She looked at Merlin who had stood up to come over and explain, but raised a hand to stop him.

"Just tell me in the morning," she sighed and then went straight to bed.

* * *

><p>The next couple of weeks were bordering on chaotic. Now Merlin had to explain this new world to four more people, without letting Kerry know, as well as trying to find out <em>why<em> they were all here. It was perhaps most difficult for Elyan to adapt, he knew nothing of the events after Morgana's enchanted sword had killed him at the Dark Tower. Merlin had to explain what had happened with Mordred and Arthur and Camelot so therefore Elyan was left more confused than the others.

As for Percival, Leon and Gwen, they had all continued living in Camelot and had all died at a ripe old age. To suddenly be brought back to life at the age of mid-to-late-twenties was disorientating to say the least. They'd already lived an entire life back in Camelot. In fact Gwen had given birth to Arthur's child several months after the King's death, and then had eventually married Leon (an event which Merlin himself attended). So much had happened in their previous lives but now they were young again, and in another era.

At first Gwen had been panicking; asking for her son, Arthur II, whilst Elyan was asking for the Arthur he knew. It took a while for the news that Arthur, the Once and Future king had died at Mordred's hand to sink in for Elyan, and even longer for Gwen to take in the news that her child was now long dead. Merlin consoled her and told her how her son had been a good and wise king like his father, once Gwen and Leon had passed away. He was then succeeded by his son at a good age and the line of the Pendragon household had continued to this day.

He shocked them all by informing Gwen, that the present day Pendragons, no longer had that name and that the direct descendant of Arthur and Guinevere Pendragon was in fact Kerry Mason. That was the reason why Merlin had stuck with her family throughout the years.

When Arthur died, Merlin swore he'd protect his best friend's family to the last and so far, he'd kept that word. It helped that they were a friendly bunch, and sometimes Merlin could see some of Arthur's good and moral character in them, perhaps it was his imagination. However Kerry _had_ called him a 'clotpole' on several occasions, a word she'd inherited from her father, and he from his father and so on.

This was partly the reason that Gwen took a shine to Merlin's housemate, even if the other woman didn't know her new housemate was her great-great-great (etc.) grandmother. And anyway, Kerry enjoyed the female company, seeing as the rest of the house was filled with big burly men.

The only excuse Merlin could come up with was that they were part of the same acting group that Gwaine was in. Kerry had been a little annoyed that she hadn't been warned their home would be overrun with strange people, but nevertheless found she couldn't help herself liking the group of strange, eccentric actors who seemed to be _really_ dedicated to their roles.

At the moment Gwen and Leon were sharing the spare room, and the other three knights were sleeping on sofas or air-beds in the living room. It was a little inconvenient, but nonetheless there was enough room. By now, Merlin had called the university to inform them that he couldn't continue working for the time being. He knew if he ever wanted the job back, they would snap him straight up again.

All Merlin's time was taken up with the knights and Gwen. He was practically running his own school from home, teaching the knights and Gwen about modern life as well as the history of the past millennia-and-a-half. Somehow he'd found the time to get to the shops and buy them all some up to date clothing. Gwen had offered to help him with this job and found it a very enjoyable activity. Feeding two women and five men was an expensive task as well and Merlin had never been more thankful that he'd had the brains to save nearly all the money he'd earned in his long lifetime; it made quite a fortune. He'd given a lot of it to charities and people who needed it more than he did over the years, but there was still a large sum which he now was putting to some use finally.

Poor Kerry was still a little unsure as to why they were all there, and she wasn't the only one. Merlin was driving himself nearly insane trying to find out why.

* * *

><p>The days went by; Percival and Gwaine were both coping well using the distraction of each other's company to help lessen the impact of the new world. Merlin had almost forgotten how close friends the two men were. Gwen and Leon were a little more bewildered and slower to get over the initial shock but Elyan found it the most difficult. He'd not known about Merlin's magic, much like Gwaine hadn't. The other three however <em>did<em> know. During Gwen's reign in Camelot, she, Leon and Percival had learnt of Merlin's power and had abolished the laws against magic, and so they were quite comfortable with Merlin being a sorcerer. Elyan however was a little wary of the warlock, but Gwaine had got over this by now.

During the day, whilst Kerry was out at work, Merlin would slowly take the group throughout the house, showing them the objects and utilities of each room, allowing their medieval minds to become familiar with them. Soon they could pass off as relatively normal people, except with blind-spots when it came to technology.

One evening, about a month after three people had become seven, Kerry had no work to do in the evening so decided to spend it with her new (hopefully temporary housemates).

"I want to watch Harry Potter!" Gwaine declared. He was rapidly getting into the popular series.

"Have you ever seen The Lord of the Rings?" Kerry called from the kitchen where she was busy making popcorn with Gwen, who was trying not to jump at every 'pop' the microwave caused.

"Seen what?" Gwaine wandered through, stripped to the waist; wearing only some comfortable jogger bottoms. Unwittingly Kerry's eyes wandered over his muscular torso, before snapping back to his face.

"Um…Lord of the Rings. It's a good film…" she mumbled, a little pink in the cheeks. Gwaine shook his head, oblivious to her roaming eyes.

He turned back and headed towards the living room again, whilst roaring "MERLIN! What's Lord of the Rings? Kerry says it's good!"

Kerry let out a sigh. "Why are the hot guys always taken or gay?"

Gwen blinked. "Sorry?"

Kerry gave a giggle. "Well it's alright for _you_, you've got Leon!"

With a blush, Gwen grinned. "Damn right I do!" she sat down on one of the kitchen-bar stools. "What about you?" She asked, but Kerry just shrugged as she pulled the popcorn out and grabbed a bowl. "Not interested in Merlin then?"

A loud laugh erupted from the young Mason girl and she nearly dropped the bowl. "Seriously, Merlin? Puh-lease! He's practically a brother. Anyway he's on the other bus."

Gwen frowned. She'd not heard that phrase before. "Bus? What bus?"

Kerry glanced over, raising her eyebrows. "On the other bus…? Batting for the other team…? I mean he's _not interested in girls!_" when the other woman continued to frown in a perplexed fashion, Kerry rolled her eyes. "_I mean_ he likes men."

At that point, before Gwen had time to react, Merlin walked in, rubbing his hands.

"Is that popcorn ready or not? Getting impatient over here!"

"Merlin likes men?!" Gwen exclaimed then. The warlock in question froze and blinked at Kerry.

"You like…I mean you…do you? Like men?" Gwen could hardly form a sentence.

Merlin stood still for a few seconds more, hesitating, debating his answer, before straightening his back and raising his chin. "No."

Kerry started with a shock. This was news to her.

Gwen looked nervously between the two. "Oh…er I wasn't going to judge. You'd still be my same old Merlin either way." She said quickly, giving an awkward giggle. At that moment, she reminded him of the awkward Gwen that Merlin had first met, always tripping up over her words or worried that she'd hurt someone's feelings.

Kerry finally managed to form some words. "You don't?! Bu-…but when have you ever…have you-…?"

Merlin shrugged. He didn't know how to answer. Women never seemed to bother him much, but he didn't like _men_…well, just perhaps…for some reason a particular shade of blue danced across his mind. A certain blue that he'd committed to memory and had not forgotten despite the many years…he shook his head. Why that had come to mind he didn't know. "Well glad we cleared my sexuality up…how about that movie?" he took the popcorn from the still shocked Kerry and walked back through to the living room.

Eventually the two women joined them all and managed to squeeze in somewhere in the crowded room. An hour into the film and the previous conversation had been forgotten.

"How many protein shakes do you take a day, mate?" she laughed as Percival's large bicep moved in front of her vision to take some of the popcorn.

Merlin rolled his eyes and sighed as he sat on the floor, a blanket pulled round him. "He doesn't take them, Kerry. Some people are just naturally muscular and don't need things like that."

"Well _you_ could do with some!" she winked across at him. Merlin poked his tongue out at her but smiled. She grinned back and squeezed herself out from in between the two larger men and moved to sit by him on the carpet. Merlin wrapped some of the blanket round her and she leaned against his shoulder in a sisterly manner. Gwaine immediately took her seat.

And so they sat and watched the rest of The Lord of the Rings, all of them (except Kerry) kept glancing over at Merlin whenever Gandalf the Wizard made an appearance.

It was a pleasant evening that ended with a popcorn fight, Gwaine and Percival took it a little too seriously by building another pillow fort and discussing strategies. Kerry found that she was becoming firm friends with this odd acting group and enjoyed their company.


	5. The Truth

_**Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews, guys! Glad you all seem to like it! :) Hope you enjoy this bit too! xxx**_

It was about another week later when Merlin felt, again the strange magnetic-like pull towards the lake and the calls of _'Emrys'_ echoing in his mind.

"Not a-bloody-gain!" he muttered, ever so slightly annoyed. But then a thought struck. This time, _this time_ it would be Arthur. It just _had_ to be!

Merlin had missed his best friend even more now that the others from Camelot had returned. All the good (and sad) memories of being with Arthur had been resurfacing in his head.

Quickly he threw on his coat and called to Gwen and Kerry to tell them he was just popping out, and with that he was gone.

It was an amazing feat that he didn't get caught on any speed camera on his journey and he made it to the lake in very good time.

He had barely parked the car before he was already halfway running down the path. This time he was ready and he stood; arms outstretched, ready for the magic to channel through him. Sure enough it came.

However this time it was different. More power, more magic was coursing through him than the last time. He could hear thunder rumbling in the distance.

"Come on Arthur!" he murmured. The magic stopped flowing and he slumped, exhausted to the ground.

The wind had picked up by now and Merlin tugged his jacket closer to him as she shivered in the cold breeze.

* * *

><p>A while later he was pacing back and forth, just a short distance from the lake. He could tell it would rain soon. How like the prat to take his time so that Merlin would get soaked. With a small smile he turned to pace, his back away from the lake and had only gotten a few metres before he felt a strong force push him off his feet and he went soaring into the air. His head hit the a rock and he blacked out.<p>

There was no telling how long he had been out cold, but it was already dark. As he slowly came to, he could feel ropes tightly biding him to a tree in the woods surrounding the lake.

Groaning in pain, his senses began to clear and take notice of what was around him.

He could smell a fire, feel it's warmth but he couldn't see anyone nearby. Suddenly his ears picked up approaching voices. And now he could sense something else. _Magic was drawing near_. He'd not felt that sort of power for many years.

With another groan he shook his head, trying to dissipate the groggy feeling. The voices stopped then, a little way off.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" he called, dreading the reply.

A cruel laugh came then, a cold, bone-chilling laugh. Merlin felt the blood in his veins turn to ice; his mind reeled in shock as he immediately recognised who it belonged to.

"Morgana…" he breathed.

"Hello Emrys." She purred, stepping round the tree and into sight. The High Priestess looked exactly the same as she had right before Merlin ran her through with Excalibur all those years ago: terrifyingly beautiful and a confident smirk twisting her lips.

"Thought you'd finished me off did you? Guess your sword wasn't so powerful after all!"

Merlin writhed in anger and frustration and started to utter a spell when to his surprise the cold tip of a sword came to rest on his throat. He gulped, feeling the point of the blade move with his Adam's apple. Glancing up he looked directly into the cold eyes of Mordred. The druid-boy didn't say a word, a steady warning look in his eyes, but upon studying him a little closer Merlin could see something else in the young man's tired face. An icy, yet ever so slightly sad expression.

"Now Emrys. Do tell. How is dearest Arthur? He was _dying_ to reach the lake last time I saw him!" again her mouth twisted into a sneer. The warlock turned to glare up at her, but she ignored his dark countenance and continued. "I haven't seen him anywhere nearby and seeing as how you two are never further than 5 feet away from each other at any time, it would seem that…perhaps he _is_ dead." She laughed once before the sinister, calculating look returned to her face. "I guess that means…" her mouth twitched at the corners, "that I'm Queen of Camelot!" and she began to chuckle to herself, though the sound was without humour.

"There is no Camelot, Morgana." The High Priestess's laughter cut off immediately.

"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin." She waved a hand at him, but there was an ever so slightly worried glint in her eye.

"There is no Camelot, no Arthur, no Albion and no Old Religion." He smiled bitterly up at her. Mordred's sword moved a little away from him uncertainly and Merlin ran his tongue over his dry lips. "This is the year 2013, approximately one-and-a-half-thousand years after you _died_."

"What nonsense is this? What are you talking about?" There was a definite note of anxiety in her voice now.

"You _did_ die by my hand. But then Arthur likewise died by Mordred's." The warlock gave the younger man such a terrifying look of anger and deep hatred that the druid-boy took a step back. "I have been walking this earth for 1,500 years since, waiting for Arthur's prophesised return. There is no Camelot to rule, no Albion to take over and no one believes that magic exists at all now. So you can put all thoughts of becoming Queen out of your head, Morgana."

She stared down at him and then up at Mordred who looked a little alarmed at Merlin's words.

"I…I don't understand…"

"Then use your magic to see inside my head. Don't try anything funny though, I could easily kill you again. I am far more powerful than you are; I only remain in these bonds so that you'll listen to me." Morgana cast another nervous glance towards Mordred, but he too looked scared now.

Quickly they both spoke some words from the Old Religion and their minds were transported into the warlock's head. They saw all that Merlin had seen over the years flashing by so fast, that it only took about 30 seconds. It verified all he'd just told them.

"No!" Morgana cried, staggering backwards once she pulled herself from his mind, Mordred fell to his knees with an anguished yell. "They…they all came back too?!" she spoke aloud, talking of the knights and Gwen.

"They're back at my house, with Kerry." Merlin cast a spell that released him from the ropes and stood to his feet, brushing his trousers down. Morgana automatically moved away from him.

"Morgana, Mordred, I'm afraid you're going to have to stay with me for a while. I know you may not like it, and believe me I'm not too keen on the idea myself, but there really is no Camelot to take over, as you've just seen. There's no vengeful purpose left, please…all you can do is return with me. I will look after you."

Slowly Mordred rose to his feet and sheathed his sword. He looked Merlin in the eye and sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Very well, I'll come. But I had no intention of taking over anywhere just so you know."

The warlock turned his head to the side, studying the druid. After a minute or so, he gave a nod and then looked towards Morgana, who was still clutching her neck and looking wildly around.

"Morgana?"

"Just…I need to…"

"Look I-"

"I know you're not lying! I just need a moment!" she hissed. After waiting for said moment, Morgana collected her wits and straightened her back.

"Well…if there's no throne to claim…then I see there is nothing to be done but to join you…" she looked as if it was the last thing she wanted to do. They were arch-enemies after all, or at least had been 1,500 years ago. But there was no point in that hatred anymore, all the reasons that had made Morgana so determined and a dangerous sorceress intent on the throne of Camelot had gone.

Hesitantly the High Priestess and the druid-boy followed Merlin. They really had nowhere else to go.

As they drove home, the warlock realised that it was finally time to tell Kerry the truth. Morgana, Mordred, the knights and Gwen could not hide their identity for long, and Merlin was weary of the lies. There was no point in hiding it any longer.

* * *

><p>When Morgana, Mordred and Merlin stepped through the doors of the crowded three-bedroom house, the knights immediately went to grab their swords at their belts, but then remembered that they no longer wore them. So they then closed themselves around Gwen protectively, baring their fists at the trio.<p>

"Calm down." Merlin motioned his hands in a defensive gesture. "They're not here to harm you or do battle. I have explained everything to them, there's no reason to be enemies any longer."

Morgana's eyes looked over the knights, her eyes coming to rest on Gwen. She glanced away quickly.

"What so now we have to all get along and pretend that we're the best of friends and everything is ok?" Elyan queried, his eyebrows pulled down into a frown. Merlin rolled his eyes and nodded.

"You want us to just forget that she tried to kill us all countless times? Succeeding twice." Leon spoke up. Elyan and Gwaine's eyes narrowed even more at her. "Not to mention to also forgive that traitor for killing Arthur?" he then pointed at Mordred, who swallowed hard and looked at the ground.

"Yes." Merlin glared at them all.

"Right. Well…In that case, I want an apology Morgana, for killing me…and Elyan" Gwaine lowered his hands from their ready-to-fight position and folded his arms. Merlin hid a smile; he couldn't help but think this was a little funny. The High Priestess pulled a face of scorn and disdain. "Good sir knight, may I remind you that _you_ attempted to kill _me_?"

"Yes, but you succeeded!"

"My sister-" she began but was cut off.

"YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!" Percival roared suddenly, losing his patience. Morgana jumped in alarm. He moved over to stand in front of her; his muscles tensed, a vein pulsing angrily on his forehead. "You caused me and everyone else so much _pain!_ And Gwen. You killed her brother AND the one she loved. You have no idea how scary it was watching her fade like that! And Merlin! He disappeared for months in his grievance. And even when he returned…he wasn't the same. He still isn't, look at the man! It is evident that Arthur's death is still a torture to his very being! You took them all." He stood trembling for a few moments more. "And you took Gwaine away…" he whispered, the suffering he'd gone through evident in his voice.

"Never knew you cared…" Gwaine chuckled softly from behind. Percival cleared his throat and turned, smiling weakly before he gave Gwaine a manly punch on the shoulder and stood beside the others again.

Morgana blinked in shock for several moments. "I…I'm sorry." She breathed. Merlin's eyes snapped up to her. Did Morgana just apologise?

"I'm sorry I caused so much sorrow…I only wanted what was mine, I wanted a world where magic was understood and accepted. I didn't mean to…to…" she glanced up at them all then and looked them each in the eye. "I did not mean to become so obsessed that I had no compassion left. And I apologise for the pain and agony I caused."

Merlin's eyes widened at her as he saw what was left of the old Morgana in her; the Morgana who had cared for everyone in Camelot and had fought for justice with every fibre of her being. Morgana, who had been one of the kindest and most caring persons, he'd ever known. Maybe there was a little of that person left inside her, maybe he could find a way to bring that Morgana out.

The knights looked at each other before lowering their fists. Gwen pushed past them and approached the High Priestess. _'Easy, Gwen' _Merlin thought. He didn't want the suddenly apologetic woman to be pushed beyond her limits.

The Queen studied the sorceress, looking for any sign of deception in her eyes. Finding none, her mouth turned into a smile and she hugged the other woman. Leon took a step forward but Merlin reached out to hold him back. Morgana stood woodenly for several moments before awkwardly returning the embrace. They all breathed a sigh of relief before Mordred cleared his throat.

"I would like to say I'm sorry too. I wish things had…turned out differently in Camelot. When I was brought back to life earlier…I was annoyed. Angry even. I still am. I don't want to live with myself knowing that I did such an abhorrent deed. In fact I wish I hadn't been brought back. However I…I can't stress how sorry I am, I should not have done it. I just wanted to avenge Kara and I can see now that I went about it the wrong way." He looked at Morgana then. "And Morgana, I'm sorry. I lied to you. I didn't agree with your plans and beliefs. To tell you the truth I felt like a pawn in both yours and Arthur's game and I wanted it to just end. I was…I was planning to end my life after the battle anyway…but Arthur seemed to grant me that one favour…"

His voice trailed away before he straightened his back and stood a little taller. "What I did was wrong and I am sorry."

Everyone looked at each other uncomfortably, before giving Morgana and Mordred a short nod of acceptance.

"Well that was…interesting. Is…is that part of your re-enactment?" Kerry's worried voice came from the doorway. Merlin whirled round to see her standing there, wide-eyed and looking smaller than ever as she wrung her hands.

"Kerry!" Merlin gasped.

Gwaine moved forward, "Yes, we're just all rehearsing, that's all!"

"No, Gwaine. No more. I'm tired of lying." Merlin rubbed his temples, whilst Kerry's face took on an even more alarmed look.

"What are you all secret agents or something? Did I hear that you killed someone?" she turned her horrified face to Mordred who was just staring at her with a confused and bewildered look on his face.

"Kerry. I need to talk to you. Alone." Merlin pulled her arm and dragged her into the room they used as a library/computer room at the back of the house.


	6. The Insomnia

_**Thanks again for all the lovely reviews! 3 I've also been working on another fic (started way before I began this Merthur one). It's a prequel to this, set just after Arthur's death from when Gwen becomes Queen. It's how she copes with Arthur's death, rules Camelot and how her relationship with Leon begins. When this one is finished (which could be a while) should I post that too? Or should I start posting it now bit by bit like this one (but bear in mind I've not written as much of the Gwen fic as I have of Merthur, so it could be slower going)? What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the reviews ^.^ Oh and enjoy this next part! xxx**_

Kerry wouldn't talk to Merlin for days. She was outraged. He'd been lying to her all these years. And not just to her, but to her entire family!

Merlin's explanation had taken a lot of time, and Kerry didn't believe him for ages. It was only when he performed some magic to show her and then eventually cast a spell to let her see into his head that she'd realised he was telling the truth.

How had she not known that magic was real? Mind you it would explain why Merlin was the best at fixing anything. But how had she not seen it? And now she understood his aversion to the Arthurian myths, it brought up too many painful memories. But Merlin's explanation meant that a lot of the legends she'd grown up with weren't true. The warlock had grown weary of disputing them, allowing people to believe whatever they wanted about the Arthurian King.

But what most annoyed her, was that she'd not been told of her true descendants. Arthur Pendragon, her childhood hero, was in fact her ancestor and the woman she'd become close friends with over the past few weeks was her great-great-great (etc.) grandmother, and Merlin had never told her? It was a little freaky to be honest. All these people, excepting Merlin, had been dead! Every time Kerry thought about it she gave a shudder.

However she eventually began to talk to Merlin again, as well as the rest of them, whom she'd also been avoiding. She found she no longer knew what to say to any of them, so she stuck to mundane things like commenting on the weather or asking everybody how they were.

Merlin felt sorry for her. She was utterly confused and disorientated, almost as much as the 'resurrectees', as he liked to call them. But as the weeks wore on she grew used to the medieval antics of the knights, the cold reclusiveness of Morgana, the cheerful humour of Gwen…and the quietness of Mordred, the druid-boy. The house was crammed with people now. Two more airbeds had been bought; one for Morgana to sleep on in the library/computer room, and the other for Mordred to bed down on with the other knights in the living room.

Kerry noticed that Percival, Gwaine, Elyan, Leon and even Merlin treated Mordred with suspicion. They'd forgiven him, but still hadn't taken much of a liking to him again, after his betrayal all those years ago, and Kerry felt sorry for him.

As for Morgana, she was still edgy, harsh and quite frankly a bitch, but they learned to deal with it. The sorceress no longer had that drive of wanting to take over anywhere or wanting to kill anyone, and she seemed a little empty with her sole intent gone. Once she had learnt of how Gwen had allowed magic back into Camelot however, she treated the former Queen with a little more kindness than she did with anyone else. But she basically ignored Kerry. She hadn't known her before her rising, and she had no need or wish to now. Kerry being Kerry shrugged Morgana's indifference off and concentrated on trying to get to know her ancestor, Gwen more.

She loved to play with and style Gwen's long, curly, dark hair and the two would spend hours in each other's company; Gwen talking about Camelot, and Kerry about the modern world. It wasn't long before they were very good friends.

One night, after a long day at work and an evening of introducing Gwaine and Elyan to Xbox gaming, Kerry lay in bed. She couldn't get to sleep; in fact she was wide awake. It was a warm night outside, which only made her feel even more uncomfortable and overheated. She twisted and turned, the sheets tangling around her but only found herself becoming more annoyed. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was 3:20am! A groan of frustration and exhaustion left her lips as she realised she had to give classes all day later. _'Sleep, dammit!'_ She thought angrily to herself, but she only felt more awake.

Throwing the covers off with a sound of irritation, Kerry got up and padded down to the kitchen. Passing the living room she could hear the snores and snuffles of the knights as they slumbered. She could just make out Gwaine whose air bed was pulled up next to Percival's. His arm was slung casually round the bigger knight, as if he'd turned in his sleep and unconsciously put it there. It seemed neither had woken and noticed, or if they had then they didn't mind and the arm hadn't been removed.

A small smile spread across her lips as she continued into the kitchen. Silently, she made her way over to the tap and poured herself a glass of cool water. After gulping half of the refreshing liquid down, she refilled the glass to take back up to bed with her. Turning round, she was about to walk out of the kitchen when she saw a hunched figure leaning over the counter, sitting on one of the bar stools.

She yelped and the water spilt all down her, soaking her pyjamas. The figure sat bolt upright in shock, ever so slightly disorientated as if whoever it was had just been asleep. Kerry saw two circles of gold flash suddenly in the dark and she realised whoever it was had just used magic, as the lights then flicked on.

Mordred sat and rubbed his eyes, "Kara?!" he frowned, confused with sleep but then his eyes widened and he corrected himself. "Kerry…" He blinked twice at her and covered his eyes, blushing hard.

"What-" she looked down at herself. Her _white_ t-shirt had been covered in water. "Oh bugger!" she looked around desperately for a hoody, a jumper, a coat, anything! There was one of the boy's cloaks folded over one of the kitchen chairs and she pulled it around her. The dark cloak was far too big for her and had about a foot trailing on the floor behind but it did the job, and it was quite warm.

Awkwardly she cleared her throat. Mordred removed his hands from his eyes hesitantly, the flush fading from his cheeks. He looked at Kerry in the cloak and smiled before giving a chuckle.

"Suits you."

"Yes it does rather, doesn't it?" She twirled round then but nearly tripped over the material. He automatically rose to help her, but she waved him away with a laugh. "Don't worry, I'm fine! Looks like you've not forgotten any of your chivalry." She straightened up then and cocked her head to one side, a puzzled expression on her face. "So what were you doing asleep in here?"

He sat back down and ran his fingers through his curly mop of brown hair. "Just er…couldn't sleep…I came in here to get something to drink and then by the looks of it I found that I _could_ sleep after all." He smiled wryly at her. There was something else behind those blue-grey eyes, but Kerry decided not to pry just yet.

"I couldn't sleep either, it's too warm. Here." She poured another glass of water and handed it to the druid. With a nod of thanks, he drank it down in three gulps.

Kerry moved round and sat on the stool next to him.

"So…magic huh?" she made a stab at conversation and he gave her a sideways glance before smiling. He had a nice smile, she decided; a soft one that seemed warm and inviting.

"Yup."

"Could you…turn me into a toad?"

"I can't see how that would be of any benefit to either of us."

"No well…I don't _want_ to be turned into a toad, but you know it's one of those things that witches and wizards do in fairy tales and I wondered if you actually could?"

He chuckled. "No. It's a very powerful magic, transfiguration and dangerous too. It's hard enough using an aging spell, but to turn a whole body into a completely different species…I don't even think Merlin could do that."

Kerry's bottom lip stuck out, "Aw that's disappointing."

"Anything else you want to know?"

_Why do you always look so sad?_ she bit back the question, and instead went for one she'd been wanting to ask Merlin since she'd found out about their magic. "Could you…read my mind? If you wanted to." Again he let out a laugh, but he paused as he pondered the question.

"I think so…in a way…but only if you allow me." He watched her perplexed face before smiling. "People with magic can send thoughts to each other telepathically. I could speak right now to Merlin or Morgana with my mind, though I doubt they'd thank me for it at this hour. I don't think it works for non-magic users…but if you clear your mind of everything else and just concentrate on me, and will your mind to let me know something, _allowing_ me to see your thoughts then maybe, because I have magic, I'll be able to hear it. But only if you focus hard enough."

Kerry screwed her eyes tightly shut and tried to clear her mind. _'Mordred…Mordred…I want you to hear me say your name. Mordred.' _she thought, concentrating hard on visualising the man sat in front of her in her mind's eye.

He laughed quietly. "Well it worked, sort of. My name is hardly an interesting message to convey, and it was barely more than a whisper but I heard it. Don't worry though. I guess it takes time to learn how to open your mind clearly enough."

With a sigh she looked down at her half-spilt glass of water, studying the droplets around the inside. When she lifted her eyes again they immediately met his, which had been watching her steadily. Whatever she'd planned to say went out of her head as she looked deep into the winter-blue eyes.

"Your hair…it's short." He raised his hand without warning and gently gathered a few locks of her hair between his fingers. It wasn't actually cut too short; more shoulder length really, but Mordred was used to a time when women wore their hair long. "I've never seen a woman's hair styled like that before." He stated, dropping his arm again. Kerry found she couldn't form any words. Finally she kicked her mind into action.

"Well I've never seen magic before."

A small smile appeared on his face and he waved his hand at the glass of water, his eyes glowing gold. The droplets rose into the air and swirled slowly round her head before gathering in front of her eyes to form the shape of a horse. Kerry's eyes widened and she reached out to touch it. It felt like cold glass. A bewildered smile spread across her face as she looked through the water to Mordred who was watching her thoughtfully.

"It's beautiful…" she breathed. With another wave of his hand, the horse galloped around her once and then leaped back into the cup. She grinned up at him then but he looked away.

"It's late." He said looking out the kitchen window to the dark street.

Chewing her lip, she looked down at the glass of water. "Yes well…suppose we'd better get back to bed then."

Mordred glanced in the direction of the living room, before heaving a sigh and rising slowly to his feet. Kerry took both glasses and placed them next to the sink.

Just as she was about to leave, she remembered the cloak around her. "Who's is this anyway?" she said fiddling with the buckle at the top.

"This one is mine…the other knight's cloaks are a dark red…mine's black." Mordred came over and undid the buckle for her.

"Oh…well thank-you for letting me get it wet!" she laughed, folding it over a chair, after which she stood by the kitchen door looking over at Mordred as he placed the bar-style stools underneath the counter again. "Goodnight, Mordred." She said hesitantly. He looked up at her and smiled kindly, though still there was a hint of sadness underneath the smile.

"Sleep well, Kerry." And she walked back upstairs, changed her damp pyjamas and settled back down into bed. For a few minutes she lay awake, thinking about the druid-boy. Why did he seem so sad all the time? Maybe it was the other knight's coldness towards him.

She realised suddenly that she didn't actually know much about Mordred and his life back in Camelot; all she'd been told about him was that he'd been the instrument Morgana had used to kill Merlin's best friend Arthur. Something had made him turn to the cold High Priestess. She tossed and turned a little, pondering what could be making Mordred so unhappy, before she finally fell asleep.


	7. The King

_**Loving the positive responses guys! Thank-you so much! Really hope you enjoy this bit too, I think a lot of you will! ;) xxx**_

Loud smashes woke Kerry early the next morning. Glancing at the clock she realised she'd only been asleep for 3 hours. It was quarter to seven in the morning. Time to get up anyway, but what had been that noise? Further crashes came from the kitchen and Kerry wondered if Mordred was still down there, performing some magic. It was loud whatever it was, and sounded like crockery smashing. Throwing on a hoody, she hurried downstairs and looked in on the knights. They were all there, even Mordred. That ruled him out then. Gwen and Leon, it seemed, had come downstairs with the noise too and had joined the others.

Like her they were wide awake, and all sat looking towards the kitchen; a sad but unsurprised look on their faces. "What's going on in there?" She asked them.

"It's Merlin. He's uh…frustrated. Don't worry; he'll fix everything once it passes. He sometimes had these episodes back in Camelot."

Kerry noticed that Mordred was sat apart from the others, his air bed pulled into a corner of the room. He sat resting his head on his knees, looking a little miserable.

"Well he's not done this before…not whilst I've been around," Kerry stated, perching on the arm of one of the sofas.

Gwen nodded her head slowly. "He probably has, but it's likely that he's just hidden it from you, or gone elsewhere for any outburst."

"Where's Morgana?"

"In her room, where else? She's just ignoring him."

Each crash and tinkle of cups and plates made Kerry wince but soon the noise stopped. A long silence followed and eventually Kerry got to her feet and wandered through to the kitchen.

Just as she entered, she saw Merlin wearily magic the last broken plate back together before he slumped down to the floor. A tear trickled down from beneath his closed eye-lids.

"Merlin?" she spoke softly. He looked up at her and quickly wiped the tear away.

"Kerry! Um sorry, I was…I just…"

She walked over to him then and knelt beside the warlock, pulling him into a hug. Sobs shook his body until finally he seemed to have no more tears left in him.

"Sorry about the noise…I woke you all up didn't I? I'm sorry." His face matched his apologetic tone and words.

"Don't worry about that. Are you okay now? What was the matter?"

"Yeh I'm fine now." He gave a sigh before suddenly launching into an outburst. "Why isn't Arthur back?! Half of Camelot's back and that _prat_ hasn't shown his sodding face at all! I mean how long is he going take? I've been waiting for one-and-a-half-thousand bloody years for him, and then everyone else comes back _except him_! It's just so bloody infuriating!" He took a deep breath after this tirade and glanced up at her. "Sorry…"

She shook her head. "No, no. You have every right to be angry and irritated. Heck I would be!" He smiled a little before it drooped again.

"It's been two months since Gwaine rose…I have no idea when or if Arthur will turn up, and I'm just so tired, Kerry."

"Why don't you take a break somewhere?"

"No not that sort of tired, although I admit baby-sitting this lot _is_ arduous. I'm tired of waiting, of living. My…my _soul_ feels weary." He rubbed his eyes before taking another deep breath. "Urgh I need a cup of tea. No, no. I'll make it, I need something to do." Kerry nodded and stood with him, watching him going about making the tea before heading back upstairs to get ready for work.

* * *

><p>It made no sound as it glided out into the water. Merlin turned to watch the boat drift away, carrying his best friend. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. All he could do was choke on his own tears.<p>

Gone. Arthur was gone. Merlin had not saved him from Mordred. That was all he'd had to do! Why hadn't he killed the druid-boy when he'd had the chance?! Now Arthur, his best friend, his King was lying in the small boat floating away on Avalon. Dead.

Another sob shook his body as he felt his already shattered heart break into even smaller pieces. He could still feel Arthur's hand, holding onto his head, as he'd slipped away.

The pain which the warlock felt could not be described. It was agony; it was taking all he could not to keel over with it. He couldn't believe that Arthur was actually gone. The prat had finally done it, and left him alone.

"You clotpole!" Merlin managed to choke out. The hysteria then began to build up until he let out a loud shout "You utter prat!" He was angry that Arthur had been so stupid to trust the druid, angry that he'd left Merlin alone, angry that he was gone. The silence that normally would have been filled by a sarcastic remark from Arthur roared in the sorcerer's ears until he covered them with his hands and sank to his knees, still gazing out to the lake with tears dripping down his face.

'_Arthur will rise again'_ the Great Dragon had said. When? When will he rise? Albion's need was great now! It needed Arthur to lead them as the Once and Future King. It needed him to help Camelot recover after Morgana's evil. Another sob choked out as Merlin rose and turned away from the lake. What in the name of dragons was he supposed to do now? "Arthur…please come back…" he whispered.

* * *

><p>Merlin woke with wet eyes. He hated it when he dreamt of Arthur at the lake; it left him feeling miserable for several weeks afterwards. Looking out the window he saw that it was still dark, just about turning light. A glance at the clock told him it was four in the morning! With a sigh of irritation, Merlin threw off the covers. There was no point in trying to fall back to sleep, he knew he'd be lying awake for ages, thinking about his dream.<p>

Quickly and quietly he dressed. Perhaps he'd go for a walk; he'd not had much of a chance to be on his own for the past couple of months after all.

With a nod, he decided he would go for a short stroll before breakfast; the fresh morning air would do him good. Softly, the warlock crept downstairs, avoiding the creaky steps and taking care not to make much noise, he let himself out of the door.

Outside he took several gulps of cool air, already he felt better. Merlin started to walk, unsure yet of his route. As he plodded along, he hummed one of Kerry's favourite songs to himself. 'King and Lionheart', wasn't it? With a sigh, Merlin realised the song hadn't really improved his miserable mood. It reminded him of Arthur too much.

After about an hour or so Merlin's steady pace slowed to a stop. Unwittingly he'd walked straight to the lake. Frowning, he wandered over to the car park. Again it was empty. He shook his head and rolled his eyes at himself, well it would be empty at this hour, wouldn't it? It was only 5:30 in the morning!

Turning back around, he drifted down to the lakeside. The sun was just beginning to rise; a mild orange colour tinging everything the light touched. Mist was still clinging to the top of the small hills that rose from the far side of the lake and as for the island-

Merlin blinked. He rubbed his eyes and stared intently, certain he'd been imagining it. But it was still there.

The ruins on the island that had stood for millennia had an odd golden light emitting from behind the half crumbled walls. The light then began to intensify suddenly and Merlin felt his eyes begin to blaze the same magic-gold. He threw his arm up to shield his eyes as the light grew so strong that it hurt to look. After a minute or two, the warlock risked a glance. The light was now travelling down from the ruins in an orb-like shape and towards the shore. Gradually the light submerged itself into the water and the entire lake lit up then and glowed a luminous gold before it faded again. Merlin stood, blinking the bright light out of his eyes.

"What the…" The warlock looked around him. The sun was slowly rising, the sky now a pinkish hue. It felt as if he was in a bubble of silence, his own breathing and heart beat the only sounds he could hear. The water was completely still, the colour of the sky reflecting in its mirror-like surface.

Merlin took a sharp intake of breath as he saw some ripples coming from the deeper water. The disturbance in the surface grew into more of a frothing and foaming of the water surface, like it was boiling in that one spot.

Something was rising from the lake, the water churning around it. Not something…some_one_.

"ARTHUR!" Merlin bellowed. The warlock threw himself into the water, unconscious of the cold. Using all his strength he waded as quickly as he could out to the person. "Arthur!" he breathed. The head looked up and Merlin felt his heart stop beating. The blue he'd dreamt about for centuries, the blue of the ocean after a storm, looked up at him. But then Arthur gave a groan and fell forwards.


	8. The Pendragons

_**So glad you all like this fic! Makes me happy! :D Hope you like this bit just as much xxx**_

Merlin, even in his disorientated and euphoric state, managed to catch Arthur before he fell back into the water. The weight of the bigger man plus his full body armour, however, nearly caused Merlin's legs to buckle, and then that would have been both of them under.

"Arthur!" Merlin choked out his name, repeating it over and over until he realised the King wasn't replying.

With great effort Merlin managed to get the clotpole's arm round his shoulder and he looked down at the face he'd been in torment over for the last fifteen centuries.

The King's eyelids were half opening and closing whilst his eyes rolled back into his head, showing the white, his head lolled to the side and water dripping down his face, _but he was here!_

The Pendragon gave another groan, and Merlin suddenly became aware of his weight, which seemed to be increasing as Arthur battled consciousness, leaning heavily against the warlock. With great effort Merlin managed to drag him to the shore and sit him down, leaning against a fallen tree trunk.

After several agonising minutes, Arthur blinked and reopened his eyes. They came to focus on a raven-haired man, staring intently at him.

"_Mer_lin!" The King's weak, yet unmistakeably delighted voice pierced the warlock's heart as he slowly struggled to his feet. Merlin had always loved the way the clotpole had said his name with the emphasis on the 'mer'. And the first thing that Arthur had said in over a thousand years was his name.

"Arthur…" the warlock whispered again, a tear trickled down his face before he launched himself at his king. Arthur almost lost his balance and fell backwards onto the ground, but he managed to keep them both steady. He frowned a little but placed his arms round his friend nonetheless. Merlin held on tightly, his hands bunching in the material of the soaking wet cloak the king wore.

"M-…Merlin?" Arthur sounded a little anxious, but Merlin just let the tears flow for a little longer.

"You clotpole! You utter clotpole!" Merlin muttered into the cloak.

"Oh that's nice! 'Hi Arthur, thought you were dead, but you survived. You're a clotpole', thanks, Merlin. Heartfelt that was, heartfelt!" the blonde chuckled. Merlin pulled back, red-rimmed eyes stared at the Pendragon. "Merlin…?"

"Arthur…you did die…"

Arthur smiled and raised his eyebrows at him. "Evidently not. You really are as stupid as you look, you know Merlin. I may be feeling a little tired –tired, not weak mind you- but I'm still kicking."

"Arthur listen to me, you're not in Camelot anymore!"

"Well obviously, we're at the lake-"

"No I mean, Camelot, the kingdom, the castle, the town…they don't exist."

"Merlin what are you blathering about?"

Merlin wiped his eyes. This was much harder than telling the others, Camelot meant everything to Arthur.

"Arthur…you died, I couldn't save you. I'm so sorry," Merlin broke down again, and instead of the sarcastic remark that Arthur usually would have said, the bewildered king simply patted his friend's back, with a worried expression on his handsome face. "Y-you died and I've been waiting for you to return for over a thousand years! I've been alive for one-thousand-five-hundred years; it must be something to do with my magic that's kept me alive but I've been here…waiting."

Arthur, a frown now on his face shook his head. "Merlin…I don't understand…what are you saying?"

With a sigh, Merlin began to tell him what he'd told the others so many times.

* * *

><p>Arthur stared blankly at the floor, wringing his hands. The sun by now was fully risen; it must've been about eight or nine o'clock by now.<p>

"Camelot…it's all gone?"

"The kingdom flourished, Arthur. It didn't crumble. Gwen did an amazing job as Queen and-" he stopped himself. Arthur wouldn't know that he had a son…or that his wife remarried...perhaps he should get Gwen over here to help him explain.

"Guinevere…Gwen. Was she okay?!" Arthur's deep blue eyes were trained on Merlin, staring at him intently. The warlock rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Merlin! What happened? You're not telling me something, I know!"

"Arthur…listen…a lot happened after you passed away…"

"What. Happened. To. Her. Merlin?"

"Nothing…nothing bad…"

"Merlin!"

"Okay okay…" Merlin took a deep breath. "Just…stay calm alright? After you died, she was heartbroken, inconsolable…but she discovered that she was pregnant. With your child."

Arthur's eyes widened, his mouth opened and shut twice before he grinned, one of his full mouth grins that meant he was truly happy. The smile that had always sent shivers down Merlin's spine for some reason.

"I…I have a child?!" he spoke softly, the grin still in place. He ran his hand through his damp hair and laughed before his smile fell slowly. "But…if what you said was true then…"

"Yes. He died a long time ago, I'm afraid. Gwen named him after you: Arthur II. And he was a good King, like you and his son after him, and his daughter after and so on."

"You stayed with them?"

"I swore to protect your family till the day I died…" he trailed away, losing focus for a few moments before adding "which I must say, I regret doing now; they're all like you – clotpoles and they treat me like some sort of skivvy, not to mention the fact I seem to not be dying!"

Arthur laughed and gave Merlin and friendly shove. "So…are there any Pendragons left today?"

"Well…yes, but their last name is Mason now. I'm afraid a generation or two of girls ended the Pendragon name quite early on, but it's still your bloodline. I er…I actually live with your direct descendant…she's called Kerry."

Arthur eyes snapped to Merlin then, a frown on his face. "You what? You _live_ with her? My great great…great…whatever, you live with her?! Are you married to her then?"

Merlin laughed "No! Of course not!" and then he noticed Arthur's thunderous expression. "Oh no! We're not-…we don't- NO! We're just good friends, I wouldn't do _that_, I swear it Arthur. We just share a house. I'm protecting her an- don't look at me like that! It's _me_, _Mer_lin! Do you really think I would have a _girl_?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes at him again, before bursting out into laughter. "I'm only joking Merlin. You? A woman? Please! Though if I _do_ find out that you and any of my descendants have ever-"

"Aha nooo." Merlin shook his head vigorously.

"Well okay then." Arthur's voice was still rather surly, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips.

Merlin glanced over at him. "About Gwen…" the blonde looked up at him again and Merlin's breath caught at the dark blue eyes watching him.

"Yes…?"

He cleared his throat and continued. What the hell had _that_ been? "A while after you…died and your son was born…well she never _really_ stopped loving you but…"

"But…"

"She fell in love again."

There was a long pause while Arthur processed this, his jaw clenching and unclenching. "With who? Did I know him?" he somehow managed to ask around the lump in his throat. Merlin nodded. "Who?" Arthur repeated.

"Leon."

"Ah…" and he slipped back into the meditative silence for a while. Several minutes later, he swallowed hard, before looking back over at Merlin. "Was she-" he cleared his throat, "Were they happy?"

"Very. They married, I was there. But no one in Camelot ever forgot you. In fact…everyone still remembers you to this day. You are the 'Once and Future King', Arthur Pendragon! Children have story books and films about you, adults study your life; there are so many different versions of our adventures. You are legendary! Of course they don't know how much of a royal prat you were though!" he grinned cheekily whilst Arthur again was speechless. This was indeed an occasion if the dollop-head was at a loss for words twice in a row! "Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table! You're all legendary!"

"But they're all gone now…" Arthur murmured.

Merlin chewed his lip. "Actually…they're not." The king's eyes snapped to his again.

"What?!"

"I- I don't know why but Gwen, Leon, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan…and Mordred and Morgana have all come back from the dead as well…they're all back at my house."

Arthur threw his arms up in the air. "You might have mentioned this earlier, _Mer_lin!"

"Hey, I was getting there!"

"They're all alive? How? Why? When?" Arthur had been pacing but paused in front of Merlin to assault him with questions.

"Woah woah, calm down. I don't know. They've just been coming back at different times for the past two months. I was only told that _you_ would return!"

"Gwen's there…with Leon." He began pacing again. "And Mordred and Morgana?!"

Merlin stood then. "Look let's start walking back and I'll explain what's happened, okay?"

"But if Gwen's…I don't know if I can-…will she-…it'll be far too-" Arthur couldn't quite form sentences in his agitation. Merlin studied the other man before he reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"It'll be alright. Trust me." He half laughed, "She'll be as worked up as you about this." Arthur shrugged him off and began striding away, rubbing his jaw. "Um…Arthur…it's this way."

The blonde man stopped, turned round and strode past Merlin again, glaring at the ground.

"Clotpole!" Merlin laughed.

"Shut-up, _Mer_lin!"

And that's when Merlin finally felt it, for the first time in one-thousand-five-hundred years, pure happiness.

* * *

><p>When Kerry went into Merlin's room that morning to give him a cup of coffee, she found his bed empty and the room Merlin-less. She shrugged and brought the hot drink downstairs and left it in the kitchen for him for whenever he came back. The knights were all still sleeping or lightly dozing in the living room and Morgana had come out of her lair at about eight to make herself a drink, before going back inside and shutting the door. Gwen and Leon were padding about the kitchen getting themselves breakfast in between quick little kisses. Kerry sighed, she sort of wished that Mordred would wake up; she could at least talk to him.<p>

It being a Saturday, Kerry didn't have any classes. She had the whole day stretched out before her with nothing much to do, of course she could always mark things or plan some classes, but she really couldn't be bothered. She looked over at Leon who was, as usual, staring at Gwen like she was the most beautiful woman in the entire world. It was a mixed look of awe and affection. A smile appeared on Kerry's own face, she loved how in love Leon and Gwen were. With a wry smile at herself she shook her head. Urgh she wished she could have a Leon of her own.

Her mobile then began to ring in her pocket. Pulling it out, she saw Merlin's name flashing across the screen.

"Hey you, where are you?"

"_Kerry…I need you to do something, it's very important."_

Something about his voice sounded different, but good different.

"Uh sure what?"

"_I need you to take everyone except Leon and Gwen out for a while…like I don't know to the swimming pool or something?"_

"Really? You want me to babysit Gwaine and Percival? I'll have to put those child-reins on them; they act like they're five years old when they're together!"

"_Kerry…"_

"Alright, alright! I'll take them to the pool then. Do they have swimming things?"

"_Yeh I bought some a while ago-"_

But Merlin stopped talking, she could hear another man's voice in the background.

"…_Merlin what is that…why are you talking to it? Merlin? Merlin what are you doing? Merlin?..."_

Kerry frowned, she didn't recognise the voice but then Merlin's voice came again. "_Shush, you clotpole!"_ – that was _her_ word! – _"I'll explain later…er Kerry? You still there? Yeh they all have swimming things, okay? Just get them out of the house. Not Gwen or Leon though alright? See you later - OW what the hell-"_

"Merlin who-" Kerry began at the warlock's sudden angry outburst of pain but he hung up then, just as the other person began to laugh. She looked at the phone with a frown but then glanced up at Gwen and Leon who were watching her with raised eyebrows.

"Was that Merlin? Is he alright?" Gwen questioned, always concerned for her friend.

"Yeh…yeh he's fine…um he wanted me to take the others to the swimming pool but er…said he wanted you two to stay here, I guess he wants to talk to you guys or something?"

Gwen and Leon looked at each other with puzzled expressions but then Leon gave a shrug. "Of course, we'll stay here then. Did he say about what?" Kerry shook her head, with a mildly apologetic expression. "Well then…have fun!"


	9. The Queen And Her King

_**Bit of a long bit this :) hope you enjoy it too! xxx**_

It took quite some time to rouse the sleeping knights, persuade Morgana to accompany them and get them all ready and pack some swimming things for them but eventually they left the house and piled onto a bus. Elyan loved travelling by bus and insisted on standing up, holding onto the handrail. He also managed to get chatting to another passenger, a pretty looking woman who seemed to find the knight very interesting. When the bus reached her stop, she passed Elyan a piece of paper with some numbers written on them and hopped off the bus, after sending him a shy smile. He smiled back but once the woman had left, gave the small piece of paper a perplexed stare and handed it to Kerry to keep safe for him. She laughed at the knight who was now staring at the shrinking form of the woman as the bus continued.

Once they reached the leisure centre, she gently explained to the knights that they had to take off all of their clothes, and put on the trunks that were in their bags before they could go in the pool. They looked mildly scandalised for a few brief moments, but began to pull their hoodies and shirts off none-the-less. Kerry nearly screamed at them that they weren't supposed to do it until they were in the changing rooms. Morgana just stood cackling at them all.

Finally after shoving the boys into their changing rooms and taking Morgana to the ladies' they all emerged at the pool side. Percival, Gwaine and Elyan immediately realised what this place was and dive-bombed into the pool whooping and cheering, whereas Mordred glanced over at Kerry in her bikini and blushed, before he climbed into the pool and began swimming laps. Morgana emerged in her own bikini and immediately the male lifeguards and even swimmers gathered round her. She smirked and sauntered over to the pool side before sitting at the edge, dipping her feet in. For some reason she reminded Kerry of Regina George from Mean Girls. With a roll of her eyes, Kerry jumped in herself and began to race the other knights. She wondered what on earth Merlin had needed the space for.

* * *

><p>Back at the house Leon was pacing and rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Gwen sat on the sofa watching him with a concerned expression.<p>

"It won't be anything bad."

"Oh I'm not worried that it'll be bad…I just want to know what he wants to talk about already."

Gwen rose and took his hand. He stopped pacing to look at her. She smiled up at him and Leon's breath caught in his throat. There had never been a moment where his love for her had wavered; in fact it just seemed to keep growing.

"You're so sweet when you get worked up about something, you know." Gwen reached up and tucked a curly lock of hair behind his ear. She left her hand on his cheek and he leant into it, closing his eyes with a small smile appearing on his lips. His eyelids opened suddenly when he felt a pressure on his lips but upon realising what it was, melted into Gwen's kiss, shutting his eyes again.

The front door opened then and the two reluctantly pulled away from each other.

"Gwen? Leon?" Merlin's voice came from the hallway. Gwen sighed and walked through.

"Yes, we're both here. Why did you-" she stopped abruptly. It felt as if all the air had suddenly left her lungs, her insides tightened and her brain seemed to stop working.

Stood before her was Arthur Pendragon. _Her_ Arthur, the man she had loved so desperately all those years ago in Camelot. The man she had nearly driven herself mad over during her grief.

He looked exactly like she remembered, a mop of golden blonde hair resting just above those fiery ice-blue eyes. Leon wandered round the corner then and also stopped at the sight of his King.

"Sire!" he grinned and quickly bowed before he went to pull him into a manly hug.

"Good to-" Arthur cleared his throat, "Good to see you too, Leon."

Gwen was still standing immobile, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Arthur?" she whispered. Leon glanced round at her and then back at Arthur before he straightened his back and muttered something about the kitchen, before he walked off in that direction. Merlin decided to follow him and talk to the knight who was probably already planning his bachelor life by now.

Once they were alone Gwen took a step towards Arthur.

"Arthur…" she whispered his name again and the tears began to flow down her face. She hugged him tightly to her and he rather woodenly returned the embrace.

"Guinevere." He said in a toneless voice, she looked up into his blue eyes. They looked sad and pained.

"Arthur…I missed you so much!" she let the tears flow freely and held him to her, feeling all the loss and anguish she had gone through in Camelot return momentarily. She felt a sudden rush of love for him and for a minute, it felt as if none of this absurdity had ever happened, that they were back in Camelot, where there were no threats, no Battle of Camlann, no death, no pain, no grief, but that they were living the ordinary sort of life she should have lived with Arthur. An entire lifetime of 'what if's and possibilities flashed through both their minds and Gwen continued to cry, mourning the loss of their life together.

But then she remembered her actual life, what had happened instead and how Leon had picked up the broken pieces of her heart and had carefully, lovingly stitched them back together, mending each sorrow with his love. And with this memory, brought the reinforcement of her love for Sir Leon; Gwen had lived a life without Arthur and she loved another as her husband. Though this man in front of her was an intrinsic part of her being and although he still had a place in her heart, he was no longer Arthur her husband. She realised that the deep love she still felt for him, held a different kind of love, one that was much like the love she had for Merlin.

"Arthur…" she whispered again. Where to begin? What do you say to your ex-husband who has just returned from the dead? Did he know about her marriage to Leon? Had Merlin already spoken to him? Perhaps she should start with something that involved him, and showed him that he still was, and always would be, a part of her life. "We had a child; you have no idea how long I have wanted you to know that. I named him after you."

Arthur swallowed hard. "I know…Merlin told me."

"Ah…" she bit her lip, so he did know. "You understand that Leon and I…it was a long while after you…passed away that anything-…that we-…" He nodded.

"Are you happy, Gwen? Is he good to you?"

"Yes…I'm very happy, Arthur and he is wonderful…"

After a short pause Arthur nodded again, a bittersweet smile appearing on his full lips. "That's good…I just want you to be happy, Gwen."

"Oh Arthur." She buried her head in his chest and he this time he hugged her properly, as he soothingly stroked her hair, internally telling himself to hold it all together. "You have to understand that I loved you so very much! I still do…just it's not the same as before, things are different now."

"It's alright, Gwen. I understand. I wish you and Leon every happiness."

Gwen stood back, smiled and wiped her eyes. They both made their way into the kitchen where Leon was sat with a mug of growing cold tea, Merlin hovering nearby.

The knight glanced up at Gwen as she entered a questioning look in his eyes. She gave a little nod and he rose to stand next to her.

Merlin could feel the awkward radiating from them and hoped someone would break the silence. Arthur's jaw worked in a way that told Merlin he was going through many impossible emotions. The warlock knew that expression all too well and after all this time, still recognised it.

Arthur looked between Gwen and Leon, feeling something inside that hurt more than Mordred's sword. He had gone, died, that was it. She had had every right to fall in love again and remarry. He loved Gwen deeply. All the secret moments and kisses they had shared in their brief marriage assaulted his memory. He realised now, with a fresh twist of pain, that she had shared many more moments like that with Leon, and not him.

Leon was the man she loved now, he had been the husband Arthur that hadn't been. This man had been there for her when he had left her on her own, he had helped her to recover, rebuild her life, and rule the kingdom. Arthur had not been there for any of that. And so he must step back and allow Gwen to be with the man who had been what Arthur could have been, the man she now loved.

It was with a deep breath and a forced smile that Arthur broke the awkward silence.

"So tell me about my son." Both Leon and Gwen let out a relieved breath. The three of them sat down at the counter and Gwen began to tell Arthur all about his beautiful boy, Leon adding the odd funny story.

Merlin, knowing Arthur's inner thoughts, as he usually seemed to do, subtly placed a hand on the King's shoulder and squeezed it lightly and reassuringly. He would help his best friend through this. Arthur was back, he was finally back, and by the dragons he would help him in any way_, any way_ he could. It felt as if a great pressure from his heart had been lifted, he finally felt happy.

* * *

><p>Back at the pool Kerry was floating on her back, gazing up at the ceiling. Gwaine and Percival had found the floats, which were technically for children, but they seemed to be enjoying them more than any child. Elyan was swimming laps, occasionally splashing the other two knights whilst Morgana was still surrounded by her army of adoring men.<p>

As Kerry was floating about, she bumped into the back of someone.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going." She gabbled, twisting around so that she was upright. The man she'd bumped into turned and smiled down at her.

"Don't worry about it; did you lose your way? Need me to help you…in _any_ way at all?"

Kerry raised an eyebrow, "No I'm fine, thanks…"

"I can see that." The man's gaze wandered downwards and Kerry sunk herself further under the water, a furious flush creeping onto her cheeks. "Are you uh…sure you don't want any help?" he asked suggestively, moving closer than was necessary.

"Jog on!" Kerry shook her head before turning and swimming off. _'Urgh! What a creep,'_ she thought to herself as she fled, making a mental note to avoid him from then on. A yelp came suddenly from behind and she turned to see the creepy guy looking rather red in the face. She noticed his trunks floating several metres away from him and burst out laughing. Others turned to see and giggled too. Glancing around Kerry saw Mordred swimming nonchalantly close by. He caught her gaze and winked before beginning another lap. Kerry grinned to herself as the creepy guy finally reached his trunks and pulled them on hastily before climbing out of the pool and heading in the direction of the changing rooms. She laughed and reminded herself to thank Mordred and his magic later.

* * *

><p>After about half an hour more in the pool, Kerry decided that they'd given Merlin enough time. Besides, she was getting cold. Somehow she managed to drag Percival and Gwaine from the floats, and tear Morgana away from her adoring followers and get them all back into the changing rooms. As Kerry was getting dressed in a cubicle, she heard Morgana's voice come from the one next door.<p>

"So Kerry….Mordred hmm?" Kerry froze.

"W- what?!"

"_Please_, I've seen the way you stare at him!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Morgana." Kerry sniffed.

The other woman scoffed. "You'll have to wait for a while for him to reciprocate any feelings though, dear. It may have been over a thousand years ago, but for him it's only been a few weeks since Kara!"

"Kara? Who's Kara?" but Morgana was silent again. "Helpful as always!" Kerry huffed to herself, and Morgana gave a mysterious chuckle. Kerry glared through the wall and focused on the woman next door. _'Bitch'_ she thought furiously.

"Hey!" Morgana exclaimed.

"What? Is something the matter?" Kerry asked innocently.

"Did you just-…no…it couldn't be. You can't do that…"

Now it was Kerry's turn to smirk to herself. She finished dressing and shoved her towel back into her bag before striding out of the changing rooms. Mordred was already dressed and waiting outside, leaning against the wall, his arms folded and his eyes closed. He looked as if he was asleep. Kerry turned her head to one side and studied him. He had quite a young looking face, innocent and peaceful. His damp, dark brown curls fell into his eyes which she could remember were a pale blue-grey. Kerry couldn't help but feel the need to protect him; he had one of those adorable natures that made anyone who saw him want to keep him safe.

'_Mordred'_ she thought and his eyes flickered open and came to rest on her.

"You're getting better." He smiled.

She shrugged, "Well I just insulted Morgana with my mind. She heard _that_ alright…but I got away with it, so I must be improving!"

He cocked an eyebrow and laughed, he sounded so cute! Kerry inwardly reprimanded herself at this thought. Maybe Morgana _was_ right.

It was as if thinking about her made her materialise. The High Priestess emerged from the changing rooms and narrowed her eyes at Kerry at first but then she looked over at Mordred. Another smirk grew on her lips and she winked at Kerry before sweeping past to wait for them all outside the building.

Kerry rolled her eyes but walked over to stand by the druid-boy anyway.

"Thanks for getting rid of that creep earlier by the way!" she smiled. Mordred grinned, it was the first time she'd seen him smile like that.

"No problem. Where I come from, a man should respect a woman."

Kerry stared at him for a few seconds before smiling shyly. "Camelot sounds nice."

"It was."

Kerry bit her lip, "Mordred…?"

"Yes?"

"Who was-" but her question was interrupted by the other knights who burst out of the changing rooms, laughing and hitting each other with their towels. They stopped abruptly at the sight of Mordred and exchanged awkward glances. The druid-boy sighed and stood upright before slouching out of the leisure centre. Kerry's eyebrows pulled down into a frown and she turned on the knights.

"Would you all quit that?! You're acting like children in primary school. Honestly! I'm sure you've all done things you wish you hadn't. He's younger than you, easily influenced; maybe he just needed some guidance from his peers!"

Percival rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably; Elyan raised his eyebrows whereas Gwaine ran his hand through his wet hair.

"Well you see, Kerry…" Gwaine spoke up, "He wouldn't have listened to us, I mean he didn't listen to Arthur and he respected him a lot more than us."

Elyan nodded in agreement before he too began to speak. "Nothing we'd have said or done would've changed anything…it wasn't a simple matter with Kara…"

"What is it with this 'Kara'? Who on earth is she?!"

Gwaine's eyes narrowed then. "She was someone who didn't deserve Mordred." They walked past her then, a slightly pained look in their eyes as they remembered the events from all those years ago. Kerry was left standing alone in the foyer of the leisure centre, staring into space. Whatever had happened, Merlin had only told her half of it. Perhaps it was Mordred's secret to tell and Merlin hadn't wanted to spread the story. Perhaps it was too painful for Mordred. Kerry felt a tear spring to her eye and she wiped it away, confused. Why was she upset? She didn't even know what had happened. It was probably the thought of Mordred going through something so painful that it had turned him against his king. Kerry didn't want to think of the soft natured druid-boy being hurt in any way. Shaking her head at herself and the tinge of sorrow in her heart, Kerry went out to join the others who were waiting for her. Time to go home and find out what was going on with Merlin.


	10. The Reconciliation

_**Hey. Just a note – this fanfic is basically fluff and I've made it all happier and healed relationships because that's what I wanted to happen, cause I can't deal with lots of death and pain so it's more the happier way things pan out! Yeh anyway so if you think that a character's reaction to all this isn't how you imagined it would play out, I'm just writing the happier version ;) And to those who are asking about Lancelot and why he isn't returning – it's explained later in the fic. Hope you like this bit! xxx**_

Merlin hung up the phone and slid it back into his pocket. He walked through to the kitchen where Arthur was gazing round at the appliances with wonderment. Gwen and Leon were watching him; relieved smiles on their faces as they sat at the counter holding hands, though not in a way that rubbed it in Arthur's face.

"Arthur…"

The blonde turned to him and smiled expectantly. Merlin's mind slowed down and he totally forgot what he'd been about to say. "Uh…" he searched his brain in a futile attempt to remember what it was he was going tell the man who was watching him, waiting.

"Who was on the phone?" Gwen prompted and Merlin silently thanked her as he suddenly recalled his message.

"Kerry. It was Kerry. She says they're on their way home now. I didn't tell her that you're here though…do you want to meet her? And the others?"

Arthur looked at Gwen and then back at Merlin, before smiling. "Well of course I want to meet her! She's my descendant! Hey it'll almost be like meeting my child."

"Well…she's not a child, she's 26."

"You know what I mean."

"Well thank God _I_ do, 'cause no one else does," Merlin grinned back and Arthur muttered some form of vegetable-related insult in his direction.

* * *

><p>Soon enough the keys rattled in the door and the noise of the knights came from the hallway. Merlin went out to tell them what had happened. A loud whoop was heard and then Gwaine, Percival and Elyan rushed in and pulled Arthur into a hug before bowing. Arthur told them there was no need for the bows any longer, he wasn't king.<p>

"You will always be my king." Percival smiled and the other two nodded. Arthur talked to Elyan a little, glad that his ex-brother-in-law was back too. He joked around with Gwaine and Percival for a bit before turning towards Mordred and Morgana who were standing in the doorway. The knights hesitated before walking past the High Priestess and through to the living room, no doubt to watch Harry Potter whilst they thoughtfully gave their King some time to talk to his half-sister and killer.

Morgana looked stony-faced, a flicker of resentment in her eyes but, Merlin supposed, old habits die hard. However Mordred wore a remorseful expression. Arthur approached the two and cleared his throat.

"Morgana…"

"Arthur." She replied. The High Priestess stood stiffly, tense as if she were about to flee at any sudden movement.

"…Well I really don't know what to say." Arthur admitted, a pained look in his eyes.

Morgana's jaw worked, as she no doubt swallowed some curse.

Arthur saw it and grew sad. There was little point in this bitterness lasting; she had no real reason to get rid of him any longer, except perhaps for revenge for Uther's actions. But that was way, _way_ in the past. And years of hatred and plotted assassinations were hard to let go of. "Do you…" he sighed. "You still hate me don't you." He stated, trying to keep a composed look on his face.

Morgana, credit to her, didn't immediately throw an insult or death threat in his face. She cleared her throat and looked away.

"I don't deny…it's hard to forget that kind of…animosity."

Arthur's eyes looked so sad, Merlin's heart tugged. He wanted to go over there and wrap his arms around his king and will the pain away. The warlock shook his head; that was an inappropriate thing to do.

Arthur began talking again.

"I know it will be highly unlikely that we'll go back to the way things were before…before they all changed…but I hope we can put our disagreements behind us with time…start afresh. I want us to be friends again one day, Morgana. I'm so sorry for all the wrongs done against you…and…and I forgive you for the wrongs done against me. Just please…please let's start again." He said it with such earnest that Morgana looked a little taken aback. A thousand and one emotions rushed through her, most of them anger related, but there were some hints of sorrow and empathy there too.

She knew she wouldn't be able to hold back saying something harsh or cruel for much longer, so she simply gave a curt nod and walked away to her room to think about her life and how it had been dominated by wanting to kill her brother, trying to persuade herself it didn't need to be that way anymore.

Arthur looked after her for a second or two before turning to Mordred. The druid-boy was looking hard at the floor.

"Mordred…-"

"Arthur I'm so sorry! Please forgive me. I honestly can't bear to think of what I did, it was…terrible. I…I-"

"Mordred, I understand. Merlin told me about your apology already. I forgive you. And…I wanted to ask for your forgiveness too." The younger man looked up then, a questioning look in his eyes.

"M-mine?"

"Yes. What I did regarding Kara…it was the wrong decision. I should have made an exception or allowed you and her to be banished and leave Camelot or something, anything to avoid her sentence. I know how important she was to you…I am so sorry Mordred. I can only imagine the pain you went through, if it had been me… Can you forgive me?"

Mordred stared at Arthur for a few moments before he reached out and offered his hand. Arthur smiled and shook it. Mordred slowly reciprocated the grin and it looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

As Arthur pulled Mordred into a brotherly embrace he saw another pair of eyes watching him from the doorway. Eyes that were almost the same shade as his. He pulled back and Mordred turned as well to see what he was looking at. Without knowing it, a smile appeared on the druid-boy's face as he looked at Kerry.

"I'll er…join the others I think." He said, and walked past them towards the living room. Gwen and Leon followed and after a few moments, so did Merlin.

"You must be Kerry Mason." Arthur spoke first. Kerry who was usually very chatty simply nodded, still staring in awe. "Would you like to…come and sit down?" He felt a little awkward too, it wasn't his home to invite people to sit, but the quiet girl was standing half behind the door and he wanted to see what his descendant looked like; his heart was hammering away, nerves threatening to betray him. This was his blood, his kin…

She declined the chair with a shake of her head but moved slowly into the kitchen anyway. The young Pendragon girl had chestnut brown hair, which was quite short compared to the usual style that Arthur was used to seeing on women. Her eyes were almond-shaped, exactly like Gwen's and a deep blue colour like his, but any resemblance to himself and Gwen ended there, it had been over a millennia, it was a wonder there was any Pendragon resemblance at all. A smattering of freckles dusted her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, and her whole being seemed to radiate an air of cheerfulness. She shyly tucked several strands of hair behind her ear as she studied him with equal interest.

"You look different…" she murmured after a minute or two, before blushing hard. Clearly she'd not meant to say it out loud.

"Different? To what?"

She shook her head, "No, sorry I meant just different to what I'd imagined. The sort of Arthur I had always pictured had a beard, like in Monty Python or The Magic Sword…" she trailed off and then clapped a hand to her mouth. "Sorry! I forgot - you don't know what on earth I'm on about. Sorry!" she kept apologising.

Arthur smiled, deciding he liked his great-great-great (etc.) granddaughter. "I could always grow a beard if that would make you happier?" She laughed and shook her head.

"No, you look much better in reality than you did in my imagination," she smiled, and then frowned in confusion at what she'd just said. "Sorry…that was weird."

"Perhaps you've spent too much time with Merlin, he says a lot of weird stuff."

"Yeh, what a clotpole."

Arthur laughed. "That's Merlin's word! You've definitely spent too much time with him!"

Kerry put her hands on her hips. "It's not his word; it's mine…well my dad's!"

Arthur nodded, a playful smile forming on his lips. "And they all got it from me…who got it from Merlin!"

The young Pendragon girl laughed. "You two hardly sound like a king and a servant."

The tall blonde man pondered this for a few seconds, "No…we were more than that. I mean on the outside, yes we were a king and his manservant, a _useless_ manservant, but I don't know…Merlin felt like the truest friend I ever had…" he looked back at Kerry who was smiling. "By the dragons, don't you dare tell him I said that!"

"I think he already knows. I mean I didn't know about any of this until several weeks ago, but I can already tell that you were both best friends."

The king smiled to himself. Best friends…he liked that tern. Arthur glanced back to Kerry. What are you supposed to say to your descendent? What would he have said to his daughter? A fundamental fatherly thing, what could he say? "So…Kerry. Are you courting any young men? Anyone I need to beat up?"

"W-what?!"

Arthur chuckled, "Well you are family, are you not? It's my job to defend your honour and protect you from untrustworthy men!"

"Yes, I suppose you are but no, I'm not _courting_ anyone…besides you're several months too late to go beating up 'untrustworthy' men!" she muttered the last part to herself, remembering her ex-boyfriend. He'd been a nasty piece of work alright.

She took a deep breath and then let it slowly out. "I just can't believe you're here. Arthur Pendragon! Wow!"

Arthur smiled, a little awkwardly. Sure he'd been well loved by his subjects back in Camelot, but here he seemed to be known worldwide! From what he'd pieced together from what Merlin and Kerry had said, he was the one who parents told their infants about. Merlin had mentioned that there were great works of art and many famous historical books featuring him, along with the knights and Merlin of course. It was so strange. With a jolt Arthur realised Kerry was talking again. "…and I used to pretend that I would go on quests with you! I thought it was awesome when I met Merlin 'cause of his name, I mean obviously I didn't know he was the real…" she trailed off, smiling wistfully at Arthur. "I just can't believe you're actually here," she said again, "and that you're my ancestor!"

"I can't believe I'm here either." He joked and smiled as he took Kerry's small hand in his larger ones. "To tell you the truth, Kerry I'm overjoyed to know that I had a child, but devastated I never saw him grow up…I know this is strange…and in a strange way I'm only a year or two older than you, but do you think I could…I don't know, look out for you like a father would? Ok no, too weird – how about like an older brother?"

Kerry's eyes were shining. Arthur Pendragon, wanted to 'look out for her'? _Arthur freakin' Pendragon_, the legendary King wanted to protect _her_? She grinned widely and pulled the surprised man into a hug.

Arthur smiled; this was his descendant, his family, his flesh and blood. He felt a fierce wave of protection, of the need to look after and take care of her. He would take personal delight in maiming any person who dared to wrong her or make her upset. And as for Kerry, well she intended to do the same for this man, sure she wasn't as physically strong as him, but all hell would break loose if anyone did anything bad to him! No one touched Arthur Pendragon! They pulled away then and smiled at each other before making their way to the living room.


	11. The University

_**Just posted the first part of my Gwen and Leon fanfic, which is the prequel to this and tells what happens in the past (just after Arthur's death). It's called 'Ghosts That We Knew', so if you want you can check that out :) xxx**_

Merlin's full-time job was now teaching Arthur about the past and the present. The other 'resurrectees' seemed to be getting the hang of the 21st century, even if there were still large gaps in their knowledge. Kerry of course helped as much as she could, but she still had her job at the university. Merlin may have a large fortune and could easily get another job, but Kerry was determined to earn her own way in the world and not live off of Merlin's money.

Arthur slept in Merlin's room on an airbed. The warlock had tried to give the king his own bed, but Arthur didn't want to be treated like royalty any longer. Besides, he found the idea of sleeping 'on air' using an air-bed to be far more exciting than a mattress with metal coils.

Merlin soon realised that Arthur would need his own set of clothes; he was a different size to the others so sharing wasn't an option. Mordred, Elyan, Leon, Gwaine and Merlin's clothes were a little too small, and Percival's were far too big. Typical of the prat to be an awkward size, Merlin thought to himself.

So one day when the knights were devouring several novels of Merlin's, and Morgana and Gwen were trying to master the kitchen by baking some bread, Merlin shoved Arthur into the car and drove them to the shopping centre. Arthur's face was pressed to the window the entire journey, staring at the large buildings flashing by. Merlin cast a sideways smile at the dollop-head; he was such a child sometimes.

Eventually they pulled up at the local shopping centre and headed in. Arthur's eyes widened at the bustle of crowds and bright lights. The scent of food from the food court made both their stomachs growl with hunger and Merlin promised that they'd get something to eat after they'd got Arthur some clothes. At the moment he was wearing Percival's jumper and trousers and looked like he was dressed in a tent.

After a while Merlin found a decent clothes store that wasn't too pricey; he saw little point in buying clothes that didn't last and were only expensive because of the label.

After grabbing several shirts and trousers, Merlin pushed Arthur in the direction of the changing rooms and threw himself down into a chair nearby. Finally Arthur strode out looking pleased with himself. The warlock couldn't help it, he burst out laughing.

"The hoody's on the wrong way round, clotpole!" he rose from his seat and pulled the hood over Arthur's face, "See?"

"No, actually. I can't see!" the indignant man put his hands on his hips in an annoyed manner. Merlin laughed again and pulled the hood down. He was met by Arthur's un-amused glare. Still smiling, Merlin took the sleeves and helped Arthur to twist the hoody around so that it was on correctly.

"Right." Arthur stomped back into the dressing room to look in the mirror. After admiring himself for a little while he went back into his cubicle.

After several minutes, Merlin could hear the King grumbling.

"You alright in there, Arthur?" he called.

"I can't work out these 'trouser' things Merlin, how the hell do you fasten them?!"

Merlin gulped, "I'm not helping you with _that_ mate!"

"But it won't – OW!"

A short silence passed before Merlin tentatively called to him again. "Arthur? You okay?"

Arthur's voice came from the cubicle, considerably higher pitched than usual, "Yeh…I er…just figured the fastenings out…"

Merlin burst out laughing, "Oh you utter clotpole!"

The cubicle door opened a minute or two later, and Arthur marched out in just a shirt and boxers. He walked over to Merlin and threw the trousers into his face. Several women shopping nearby looked in their direction before turning red and shuffling on, whispering and giggling to each other.

"Do me a favour and shut-up, Merlin!" Arthur said, his voice back to normal. "And fetch me some more suitable breeches!"

Merlin shook his head and went to search out something easier for Arthur to get into.

* * *

><p>A couple of hilarious hours later, Merlin and Arthur sat down in a café in the food court, several bags of successfully tried on clothing next to them.<p>

"Hullo, Merlin. More clothes? Honestly! What on earth has got you buying up all the clothes stores in the shopping centre for?"

Merlin smiled up at Jen, the waitress at his favourite café. "Growth spurt, Jen." She rolled her eyes and took their order, her eyes lingering on Merlin a little while longer than necessary before she went off to make their drinks.

Merlin looked back to Arthur who had his eyebrows raised at the warlock. "_Jen_ is it, eh?"

"Yes, that is her name." Merlin narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

Arthur shrugged, leaning lazily back in his chair. "She seems nice…"

Merlin tapped the table in a bored fashion. "Suppose she is. I usually come here for a coffee. In fact I worked here a few years ago when I was in uni…for the 12th time."

Jen returned with their drinks then, placing them carefully on the table and flashing Merlin a charming smile before reluctantly moving on to serve another table.

"Well evidently she likes the look of you…what is it with you and barmaids?"

"She isn't a 'barmaid', she's a waitress. And besides what's it to you? Jealous of my good looks and charm?"

Arthur shrugged again, "Nah no need to be, I could charm anyone I like! But it's nice that at least you have one or two girls interested in you." He smiled a teasing grin at Merlin before winking at a girl of about twenty-three sat several tables away. She giggled and blushed beetroot-red before hiding her face behind the menu. "See?"

Merlin rolled his eyes, "Dollop-head!" he muttered, ignoring the strange ache that had suddenly materialised inside his chest for some reason.

* * *

><p>After a short lunch and car ride home, Merlin and Arthur walked back into the house. It was eerily silent.<p>

"Gwen?...Leon?" Merlin called, frowning slightly.

"Percival! Gwaine…Elyan? Helloooo?" Arthur looked in the kitchen and the living room but both were empty.

"Where the hell are they?" Merlin ran his hand through his dark hair, beginning to panic.

"They're grown adults, Merlin. They can go out on their own once in a-"

"No, Arthur! In this century, they are like children! They know a bit about this world, but not enough to be okay on their own!"

Arthur raised his hands submissively, "Alright, alright. Keep your neckerchief on!" He used his old saying out of habit and then smiled as he realised what he'd said. "You don't wear a neckerchief anymore."

Merlin shook his head, as he walked past the blonde man, peering into the other rooms, "It's upstairs in a box but no, I don't wear it."

"You should…at least once. For me- I mean for old time's sake. It'd be nice to see the old you…" Arthur mumbled. Merlin turned to look at him then, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

"Getting a bit nostalgic are you?"

"I just miss the old days…"

The warlock studied Arthur before patting his shoulder. "I miss them too. But right now we need to find the others-"

Just as he spoke, his mobile began to ring.

"Kerry?"

"_Thank goodness, Merlin! Can you come up to the Uni?"_

"I can't right now, the others have gone walkabouts and I need to find them before they do anything stupid!"

"_Too late."_

"Too late? Too late for what? What've they done? What's happened?"

"_I'm at the uni, trying to run my class. But all your little friends thought it would be a nice daytrip to come and see me. They came crashing in saying 'surprise, Kerry!' totally disrupting my lesson and now all the students are laughing at me!"_

Merlin grimaced at her peeved voice. "How did they know how to get there?"

"_I don't know! I guess they just caught the bus."_

"Are they all there?"

"_Well Gwaine says that Leon and Gwen went for a wander through the campus grounds to have a look around and Mordred and Morgana refused to come into the campus at all, they're by the gates. It's the other knights who burst in."_

"Alright we'll come and fetch them now then. See you in a few."

"_Okay just hurry up." _And with that she hung up.

* * *

><p>Soon enough Merlin pulled up at the university with Arthur looking around wide-eyed.<p>

"Look, there's Mordred…but where's Morgana?" Merlin pointed to the gloomy-looking druid-boy who was leaning against a nearby wall on his own.

They both got out of the car and approached Mordred who looked up at their approach and cringed.

"I'm sorry Merlin, they wouldn't listen to me! I told them to not come here, I only tagged along to try and persuade them to go back, but they wanted to surprise Kerry…I don't think she'll be very happy."

"Don't worry, Mordred…where's Morgana? Kerry said she was with you…?"

Mordred rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I don't know…some big student-y guys came up and started talking to her and she walked off with them."

Arthur face-palmed from behind Merlin whilst the warlock shook his head. "Well at least she can look after herself. Come on, we've got to get the others. Do you know where Gwen and Leon went?"

Mordred thought for a few moments before pointing in the direction of the university's drama department. Merlin nodded "Right well you may as well tag along with us, Mordred."

The trio headed off towards the drama department, keeping an eye out for Morgana as they hurried. They looked in all the rooms, disrupting only three classes, and eventually found Gwen and Leon in the theatre. Gwen was sat in one of the seats watching Leon, _who was on stage_. Merlin's eyebrows shot up in astonishment as the head of drama, Anthony Beadle instructed Leon how to act out the part of Romeo in a particular scene.

Merlin approached Gwen and spoke in a hushed voice "Gwen-"

"Oh Merlin! Hello, you okay? Can you believe it? We wandered in here and this man just snapped Leon up onto the stage!" Gwen grinned up at him.

"Er…yes I can see that…but we should probably get going. We need to find Morgana and the other knights."

"Ah Mr Emrys! My dear Merlin, this friend of yours is a fantastic actor! I must claim him for my private drama school I mean, all I have here are bumbling idiots!"

Several students nearby on the stage looked at each other with downcast expressions. Clearly they had all been hoping to get into Beadle's exclusive drama school.

Merlin cleared his throat. "Er…that's great! You can send Kerry the details but uh I'm afraid I need Leon back for now."

Beadle gave a long dramatic sigh but waved Leon away, eye's shining with unshed tears of admiration. Leon made his way down from the stage and automatically took Gwen's hand. Arthur looked away uncomfortably and walked over to Merlin and punched him lightly on the arm.

"Come on then, clotpole." He gave a weak smile and the warlock managed to give him a sympathetic smile before walking away towards the door.

On their way through the network of hallways and corridors to the classroom Merlin and Kerry shared, they found Morgana flirting with a group of students. Merlin rolled his eyes as he wondered how on earth he would drag Morgana away from the adoration, before a little plan hatched.

"Morgana! You're far too old for them!" he sauntered over with a mischievous grin on his face. She shot him a murderous glare. The group of boys frowned and looked back at Morgana.

"Why how old is she? How old are you?"

"Oh she's absolutely ancient, I keep telling her surgery won't forever be able to mask the wrinkles, but does she listen? Oh no, it's always just one more botox injection, or another bre-"

"_Merlin_!" she hissed. The students raised their eyebrows and made some excuse about getting to class and wandered off. She turned on him then. "That isn't the least bit funny. Just because I live in your house does not mean we are in any way friends. So you can think again about teasing and joking around. There is no friendly banter between us, Emrys and there never will be." She turned on her heel and marched off, barking back to them that she would catch the bus back to the house.

Leon let out a low whistle whilst Merlin blinked after her. Arthur patted his arm. "Don't worry about her; you know what she's like. Besides, you've got me…_us_!"

Merlin shrugged. "I don't really mind, there's no love lost between us. I got over whatever friendship we had when she turned against Camelot."

Arthur's hand seemed to linger for a little longer than normal and then he suddenly realised it was still there. Clearing his throat he removed his hand to run through his hair as he awkwardly looked at a photo of a uni rugby team hanging nearby on the wall.

"We'd better find the others; Kerry's probably getting impatient…" Mordred pointed out. Merlin glanced sideways at Arthur who seemed to be studying that photo pretty hard before sending a short nod to Mordred and setting off down the hallway.

Finally they approached Kerry's room. Percival, Gwaine and Elyan were all sat outside the room on the floor, looking subdued and suitably chastised.

"Hullo Merlin…" came Percival's glum tone. The door crashed open then and a fraught looking Kerry stood there, glaring down at the men on the floor.

"Merlin. Good. You can take them home now. Oh and they are not to touch any of the Harry Potter films or books for three weeks! I trust you can enforce this punishment." She barked her commands, still shooting death glares at the knights.

Mordred's eyebrows shot up; he'd not seen Kerry in one of her famous moods yet. Merlin however was all too used to them. The druid-boy frowned as he sought for some explanation to her temper. "Forgive me, Kerry but is it your womanly bleeding? Only I remember Kara used to be particularly foul tempered around that time and it would explain your current mo-"

Mordred abruptly stopped and clapped a hand to his mouth as he realised what he'd just said. They all heard the students gasp before they collapsed into fits of hysterics from inside the classroom. Kerry's lips went white and her eyes bulged.

"GO AWAY! ALL OF YOU! RIGHT NOW!" She slammed the door to the classroom so hard that a small crack appeared on the door's pane of glass. "AND YOU LOT CAN SHUT-UP TOO OR SO HELP ME I WILL SOMEHOW MAKE SURE YOU FAIL IN YOUR END OF TERM EXAMS!" They could hear her roar at the giggling students. Complete silence followed this exclamation.

Mordred buried his face in his hands. "By the dragons, what have I done?!"

"Well you've not improved her mood for one. Discretion Mordred, discretion." Merlin sighed before turning towards the other knights who were slowly rising to their feet. "Right well I suppose there's nothing to be done but to go home. You'd all better be on your best behaviour and be extra nice to her if you want to get back into her good books, believe me." Mordred nodded anxiously in agreement.


	12. The King's Son

_**I love all these reviews! 3 And there are going to be some minor hiccups/problems in the fic, but nothing too serious – this is mainly fluff I suppose, but they'll come at a later date, perhaps when Arthur finally realises what's brewing with a certain druid and a certain descendent… ;) xxx**_

Back at home, all of them (except Morgana who was locked away in her room) watched Mordred in amusement as he frantically used his magic to tidy the house and attempt to cook a favourite meal of Kerry's. Merlin stepped in the third time that the younger man burnt the Bolognese sauce and took over the cooking. After all, he'd been taught how to properly cook this several centuries ago by expert Italian chefs in the city of Bologna itself. Mordred took the opportunity to go to the shops by himself to buy some chocolate and flowers as a form of apology. By the time he returned with them, the meal was cooking away merrily. Merlin raised his eyebrows at him.

"You know, those are usually given together as _romantic_ gifts, Mordred…" the warlock kindly pointed out. Mordred looked at the pretty flowers and box of Thornton's chocolate with an almost worried expression.

"Oh…uh here. You give her the chocolates then!" Merlin smiled and placed them on the kitchen table before taking the flowers away to put into some water whilst Mordred began pacing.

Gwen smiled at him and whispered something to Leon, who also smiled and nodded. Arthur's eyes narrowed at the pacing man in front of him, but he said nothing and wandered through to the kitchen where Merlin was now stirring the sauce.

"Looks good." Arthur nodded to the Bolognese sauce that was bubbling away. Merlin glanced up from the pan and smiled. "How come you never told me you were such a good cook?"

Merlin shrugged. "You never asked. Besides I learnt most of my cooking in the time since…" he cleared his throat, "well anyway you tried my amazing stews whilst we were on patrol!"

Arthur's eyebrows shot up. "Amazing? Right…"

"Hey it's not my fault, it's not like there was much to cook with, I mean it was more of a 'here-Merlin-we-caught-a-rabbit-now-cook-it' sort of job on patrols."

A grin spread across the bigger man's face as he remembered such instances. Merlin moved over to the sink and began to wash up some of the accumulating saucepans and cutlery.

"We should all go on patrol again or at least sleep out in the woods like we used to…it would be fun."

"Yeh it's called 'camping' now dollophead, and perhaps…sounds good." Arthur smiled at this and picked up the wooden spoon and began stirring the sauce slowly.

After a few minutes of silence he spoke again, a little quieter than before.

"It's strange…Gwen and Leon. That's er…still going to take some getting used to…"

The warlock paused and looked over at his king.

"It'll be hard adjusting, believe me I understand. It was…more than tough getting used to the deaths of everyone I knew and the passing of Camelot and watching Albion change…but in a cliché way it makes you realise how much you loved it all and them…and so you learn to cherish the new friends, and enjoy the moment…"

Arthur watched Merlin as the warlock swallowed hard and blinked furiously.

Arthur reprimanded himself, how selfish and pathetic of him. Merlin had been through far more pain than he had. "I can't imagine how hard that must have been…here I am whining about Gwen when you've gone through so much worse."

"No, it's fine. You've got every right to feel miserable." Merlin cleared his throat and shook his head. Arthur placed a reassuring hand on Merlin's forearm for the second time that day. Merlin looked up and Arthur felt a strange feeling of warmth wash over him as he looked at Merlin's kind smile.

At that moment the door opened and they could hear Kerry throwing her books and bag onto the floor in exhaustion and probably irritation too. Arthur moved to the cupboards to begin setting the table whilst Merlin continued with the washing-up, both trying not to think about the strange feeling that had just passed between them.

Mordred too had heard Kerry enter the house. He quickly grabbed the flowers and in a penitent manner, made his way to the hallway. She was just hanging her coat up on the peg when he cleared his throat. Kerry turned to face him, she looked tired and ready to drop but her eyebrow still managed to rise to an expression that said 'what now?'

"Mordred-"

"Wait, don't be angry! I'm sorry. I didn't realise what I was saying earlier, I completely forgot that there were other people…in the classroom that is. I'm really sorry, Kerry! Uh…these are for you…I also got you some chocolates but Merlin said you might think of them as romantic gifts when these are just to say sorry and to help make you feel better and-"

"Mordred…" Kerry cut in and the druid-boy stopped rambling and stared at her, still with a sorry expression on his face. "You're babbling." She softened her expression and took the offered flowers. "Thank-you for the gifts, Mordred, but they weren't really necessary. It was just me in a bad mood and I'm sorry you caught the wrong end of it. But in case you're still worried, you're forgiven." She smiled at him then and pulled him into a hug.

He was a little surprised and felt the beginnings of a blush creeping onto his cheeks, but with a smile he wrapped his arms round her and hugged her tightly. The very last thing he wanted in the world was for Kerry to be feeling bad. He inhaled her sweet rose scent and felt a sense of peace wash over him. Mordred decided he liked hugging Kerry, she made him feel better about…well, everything. Reluctantly he let her go and pulled back. She seemed to be wearing the same sort of content expression he could feel on his own countenance and there was a little pink on her cheeks too. Then she glanced around, sniffing.

"Is that Bolognese I can smell?"

"Well I tried to cook it but um…it didn't quite work out as planned so Merlin took over."

"You tried to cook me Bolognese? You're such a sweetheart!" she smiled, nudging his arm gently, but he only looked a little confused. "Oh never mind…"

"The others are really sorry too, Kerry. If there's anything we can do to make you feel better, you name it."

Kerry peeked around Mordred and through to the living room, where the other knights were sat, almost holding their breath.

"You know what would make me feel much better?" She spoke in a slightly raised voice, to ensure they would hear. "I would _love_ to watch Harry Potter!" Immediately Gwaine, Percival and Elyan gasped and loud 'yesss's could be heard from their direction. With a last quick smile towards Mordred, Kerry went upstairs to change. She didn't know that Mordred's gaze followed her, a bemused smile on his young, yet handsome face.

A happy evening was spent; Kerry's mood was much improved by chocolate, good food, good films and good friends. Soon everyone, even Morgana who had come out for dinner and ended up watching the movie with the others, said their goodnights and went their separate ways to bed.

* * *

><p>It was now an hour or so past midnight, and everyone was asleep. Everyone that is, except Gwen. The Queen of Camelot lay awake in the double bed she shared with Leon, gazing through the gap in the curtains to the starry sky outside.<p>

Trying not to wake her husband, she rose and got some tissues to wipe her eyes. Gwen always did her best to hide her sorrow from the others, even Leon, although he had noticed that she wasn't quite herself and had guessed the problem.

What troubled Gwen and made her heart constantly ache was the fact that she had, in a way outlived her child. Her precious boy, who had given her reason to live in those early days without Arthur was gone, forever. She'd led a happy life with her child, Leon, Percival, Gaius and even Merlin when he'd eventually returned to Camelot.

But those days were long gone and even though she was back with her friends, her son was dead. She wouldn't be able to see his grin that was so like his father's any more. And the family horse rides that she, Leon and her precious own Arthur had gone on every week without fail, accompanied by Percival of course, would never happen again.

Gwen had learnt about the modern day cameras and photographs and she wished she had a photo of her child. Not that she could ever forget his face, but any tangible memory of him would help lessen the pain.

A sob racked her body and she quickly bit her fist to silence herself. With shaking fingers, Gwen used the last of the tissues to dry her eyes and blow her nose, before she threw away the evidence of her mourning and sat back on the edge of the bed and placed her head in her hands. She'd not felt this upset before; this was definitely the worst she'd been.

She jumped a little when warm, strong arms wrapped around and cradled her.

"Ssh, love. It'll be alright…I miss him too." Leon spoke softly. Gwen leant back into his embrace.

"I just-…I can't-…he was my baby, Leon. My child, _our_ child." The tears began to trickle again.

"I know, I know. C'mere, love." Leon twisted her round and pulled her closer. She buried her face in his thin cotton shirt, causing tear stains to gradually appear on the material.

Knowing that there was nothing to be done but let her cry, the knight gently rocked her in his arms, murmuring soothing words of consolation.

However Gwen's crying seemed to just continue. After a while of crying, Leon decided that he should do something other than just sit with her. He dropped a soft kiss on the top of her head and hugged her tightly before disentangling himself and hopping off the bed. Quietly he padded out of the room.

Without making a sound, he opened the door to Merlin and Arthur's room. Arthur was just about awake on his airbed, his hands folded behind his head, watching the rise and fall of Merlin's chest as the warlock slept soundly.

"Arthur…" Leon whispered. The king turned his head sleepily towards the door, a confused look in his nearly shut eyes.

"…Leon? What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"It's Gwen…she's having a hard time coping with Arthur not being here…as in her son. I thought you might be able to help somehow…?"

It took a moment or two for the blonde man to process what Leon was saying and properly wake himself but he managed to stand, pull a hoody on and sneak out without making too much noise.

Leon crept downstairs to make Gwen a hot drink and give them some time whilst Arthur slipped into their room.

She was sat on the edge of her bed, knees tucked under her chin, quietly crying to herself.

"Gwen?" he asked gently. Her hunched figure looked up at him in surprise.

"Arthur!" Quickly she sat up straight and wiped her eyes. "Sorry, sorry."

"No it's okay, tell me what's wrong." He sat on the edge of the bed and raised his arm towards her. She hesitated for a moment but then shifted over and allowed his arm to fall protectively around her shoulders, holding her close and safe. For a minute or two she remained silent, soaking up the feeling of peace that Arthur's embrace gave. With a sigh she twisted to see his face. He looked down into her eyes which looked black in the dark room, but he could easily remember the exact chocolate shade of them. Gwen too studied him for a moment.

"You know he looked _just_ like you. Except he had black hair." Gwen spoke wistfully. Arthur smiled; he loved to think about his child, what he looked like, how he acted and the things he would have said. "Such a beautiful boy…although he was a man the last time I saw him…he married Princess Mithian's daughter, you know." Arthur nodded, Gwen had already told him all this, but he let her repeat herself. "Oh and he had three lovely children. Isla, Isabelle and William. Isla had your blue eyes, Isabelle had her mother's green and William had my brown." More tears trickled down her face and she hiccupped. "I wish you could have seen them all, Arthur. You would have been so proud of them…"

Arthur comfortingly rubbed her arm and made gentle soothing sounds as Gwen dissolved into further tears.

"I know I would have been proud. But do you know what? I'm proud of _you_, Guinevere. You are such a strong woman, enduring all you went through. In fact that's what I fell in love with. Do you remember when I hid at your house for several days during the jousting tournament? I was rude and impolite and you nearly bit my head off, but you taught me a valuable lesson. Such a fiery spirit, I hope our boy had that!"

Gwen had grown quiet, so Arthur continued. "You had the courage to accept magic and allow it back into Camelot. It took _me_ until my last few days to realise that magic wasn't bad. If our boy inherited even the smallest amount of that strength and bravery, he would have been more courageous than any dragon in all of Albion. You and Leon raised him to be a great king who led Camelot wisely and compassionately. Do not dwell on his absence; instead be proud that you knew and raised him. Be happy for the time you had with him, rather than becoming more and more sorrowful. Do his memory justice; make him as proud of you as I am, Guinevere."

Gwen by this point had stopped crying and was smiling.

"Arthur…" she managed to whisper, "I-…I don't know what to say…" She rubbed her eyes and paused for a moment or two, before she spoke again. "I think that _you'll_ have made him proud, proud that he had such a kind and wise father." And then she hugged him close to her, feeling an odd, yet pleasant sense of calm and contentment wash over her. The same feeling swept over Arthur too as he held Gwen in his arms. He recalled how miserable he'd been feeling about Gwen earlier that evening and smiled. For some reason that feeling of hopelessness and despair had now gone, and had been replaced with something sweeter and happier. Maybe the hole in his heart would begin to heal.

After several more minutes in the embrace Arthur cleared his throat. "It's late. I should get back to bed." Gwen simply nodded and pulled away.

With one last smile at her, Arthur rose and quietly left, passing Leon on the landing, who held two mugs of luke-warm hot chocolate.

"Thank-you, Arthur, I can't express how grateful I am, honestly."

Arthur patted the knight's shoulder but was too tired to respond, so with a simple nod he wandered back into his room.

After snuggling back down under the covers, he glanced towards Merlin. The room was dark but he could just make out the gleam of the warlock's eyes watching him.

"You're awake." Arthur stated the obvious in his sleepiness.

"You're not exactly light-footed!" came the amused reply.

"Mmsorry. Gwen-"

"I know - the walls are thin in this house, I heard it all. Well done, Arthur."

The king chuckled drowsily. "Did I do something right for once?"

Merlin grinned into the dark "Yes…for once."

"Hey you're not supposed to agree, you're meant to say 'but you're always right, your majesty'!" Sleepy, but he still had the ability to attempt a comeback, Merlin thought fondly.

"Clotpole!"

"Dollop-head"

"Goodnight, Arthur."

"Night…Merlin…"

Merlin counted down five seconds before he heard the familiar quiet snores and he grinned to himself.

After a while of listening to Arthur's deep breathing, Merlin rolled onto his stomach and looked down at the sleeping man on the airbed, studying him.

Arthur looked so young and childlike when he slept; one arm shoved under his pillow, the other one half on his bed and half on the floor. His golden-blonde hair fell over his closed eyes at the front and was mussed up a little on the back.

Soft snores could also be heard from Gwen and Leon's room by now; Arthur had said all the right things. Oddly enough, Merlin felt proud of Arthur too; he was ten times the man Uther had been.

The sorcerer could feel sleep tugging at his consciousness but he gently reached down and brushed some of Arthur's hair out of his face.

"Clotpole…" he whispered affectionately before he too succumbed to dreams.

* * *

><p>Only a few hours later at about 5 o'clock in the morning, Arthur woke to Merlin's hand resting gently on his head, the warlock's fingers wound into his hair. He recognised the sound of Merlin's deep breathing, so clearly the other man was still asleep. Arthur peeked up at him; Merlin's arm was flopped over the edge of the bed, and it seemed the warlock was unaware of his hand in Arthur's hair.<p>

It wasn't causing him any discomfort; in fact…it felt quite nice. So Arthur, with a small, drowsy smile on his face, left Merlin's hand where it was and fell back asleep, a warm feeling growing inside him.


	13. The Midnight Kiss

_**I'm gonna be really nice to you all and give you an extra long chapter ;) so you'll have to thank me with reviews hehehe – sneaky right? ;) :D hope you like it anyway xxx**_

"Put this one back will you? There's nothing new in it."

"Tch! I'm not _your_ manservant, _Mer_lin."

Merlin didn't even bother to look up at him as he held out the book. Arthur rolled his eyes and grabbed it before slouching off to find where it belonged as Merlin turned the pages of a new book, scanning the small writing.

Arthur returned after a minute or two and sat on the table that Merlin's stacks of books were strewn across.

"And this one." The warlock shut the book with an irritated sigh before passing it to Arthur.

"But I just…urgh!" He snatched it and stomped off. Merlin glanced up then and watched Arthur as he angrily shoved the book back onto a random shelf, an amused smile spreading across his face before he called over.

"You do realise that you're going to have to ensure each book is put back in its correct place before we leave?"

Arthur shot him a glare, "You can use your magic."

"Why use my magic when you're standing around doing nothing? It's a fun job for you; see how nice and thoughtful I am, letting you do this?"

Arthur glowered from across the room, before waving a threatening finger in the warlock's direction. "I'll show you just how grateful I am, _Mer_lin-"

"Shush, I'm reading!" Merlin held his hand up to silence him and turned back to the book, chuckling quietly.

Arthur stomped back to the table and flung himself into a chair. Checking that Merlin still had a fair amount to read before he gave the book to him, Arthur picked up a book of his own from the pile and flicked through the pages.

After a few minutes Merlin's eyes snapped up as the king exclaimed "Disgusting! No way, nuh-uh! That's all wrong!" He raised his eyebrows at him, questioningly. Arthur pointed to the book in his lap. "This imbecilic person is claiming that Mordred is my _son_…with Morgause! Mordred! My son… _with_ _Morgause_!"

Merlin nodded; an unconcerned and unsurprised expression on his face. "Yup. Heard it before."

"And you didn't correct it?!"

Merlin gave shrug before turning back to the book. "I gave up after a while; the legends and myths surrounding you got so out of hand. Wait till you find the one about you and Morgana!"

"_MORGANA_?!" Arthur threw the book down and grabbed another one, rifling through it before he gave a cry of indignation and disgust.

"My particular favourite is where Mordred is yours and Morgana's son and he returns to Camelot and marries Gwen!" Merlin laughed before ducking as a particularly well-aimed book sailed through the air at his head. "Hey, careful! These are rare, old and expensive books, and they aren't mine remember? The university will kill you if you damage them and I won't step in their way, I knew some of the authors."

That morning Merlin had dragged Arthur with him to the university to use the vast library, seeking information on the recent happenings. Surely there would be a book that explained some of this there? However Arthur had been unprepared as to what he would find out.

"You're a clotpole, you know that?"

But Merlin was silent, his eyes suddenly intent on the book in his hands. "Merlin? What is it? Have you found something?"

The warlock then gave a sigh and slammed the book shut before closing his eyes and massaging his temples. "No. I thought I had…but no." With a sharp inhalation, Merlin opened his eyes and picked up the next book. A few minutes passed in silence, save for the turning of pages and Arthur drumming his fingers against the table.

"Are there any good books here? Interesting ones, I mean."

"Go and look for yourself, have a wander." Merlin waved his hand tiredly. So Arthur shrugged and stood up, stretching.

* * *

><p>Soon he was roaming around the tall bookcases, glancing at the book titles but none sparked any interest. A glance round the end of the wooden shelves showed Merlin still wading his way through the stack of books at his table.<p>

Arthur let out a breath of air noisily in boredom and he leant back against the books. He immediately jolted forwards as a book dug painfully into his back.

"Ow!" he huffed, pulling the book out, giving it a death glare. The words _'The Greatest British Folktales'_ were printed across the front cover with a picture of a familiar looking sword stuck deep into a stone on the cover. Arthur gave a half-smile and quietly lowered himself to the floor and leant against another bookcase, this time checking for any books poking out first and began to flick through it. The chapters of the book had titles like 'Devon', 'Yorkshire' and 'Caerphilly', and Arthur only barely recognised the county names from Merlin's 'geography' lessons. With a shrug Arthur began reading. He was soon so enthralled with the stories of ghosts and vengeful spirits that he didn't hear Merlin's approach an hour or two later.

"Ready to go?" Arthur jumped at Merlin's voice.

"Merlin! Good grief! I thought you were a gho-" Arthur glanced at the book in his hands and flushed a little in embarrassment. "Never mind."

"What're you reading?"

"Oh just some book about legends and folktales, Albion is a scary place!"

"Britain."

"Sorry?"

"Britain. It's called Britain now, remember? Man I told you this ages ago!" Merlin lowered himself to floor and sat by Arthur. "Can I have a look?"

Arthur shrugged and handed the book over. The warlock turned the pages, and started reading from the section on Cheshire folktales. "Alderly Edge…? I've not heard this one before…hang on." Merlin's brow pulled down into a frown of concentration and Arthur watched him with interest. A small smile tugged at the corners of the king's mouth. Did Merlin realise that his lips moved when he read silently to himself? Merlin's head moved down as he read through the large pages and some of his dark hair fell into his eyes. He flicked his head in irritation to get the offending locks of hair out of the way, but they just fell back. Arthur reached out.

"Here…" he gently brushed the hair out of Merlin's eyes before realising that had been a little weird of him. Merlin stared at him for a moment before flushing and hastily going back to reading.

Arthur frowned at himself. What did he go and do that for? He rose to his feet and cleared his throat.

"I'm er…I'm gonna go and sort those books…" he said before he hastily retreated to the table Merlin had been sat at. Merlin's eyes followed him but he managed to tear them away to continue reading.

Finally after a few more minutes, he reached the end of the story. "Arthur?" he called out. The tall blonde man traipsed over, hands deep in his pockets.

"Hmm?"

"Have you read this one?" Merlin showed the page with 'Alderly Edge' as the chapter title. Arthur shook his head.

"Well this legend has it that a man is shown a cave by an old sorcerer, apparently me, and inside the cave there's a group of men asleep. The group of men is you and the knights. This particular legend is saying that it wasn't just you who was destined to rise…maybe there's more tales like this…I just have to research folklore, and not those old tomes I've been going through."

"So we're getting somewhere?"

"We're getting somewhere."

Arthur grinned. "Finally! But…can we not do anymore today, please Merlin?"

"No I think I've had enough for one day too."

Arthur held out a hand and pulled Merlin to his feet. They made their way to the car park and waited there for Kerry, who they'd driven to the uni with that morning.

For the rest of the day everyone lounged around the house, reading or just chatting with each other. It was pleasant and as Arthur looked round at his friends, he noticed the smiles on their faces and grinned to himself. This world was very different from Camelot, but he was beginning to like it.

* * *

><p>With a yawn, Kerry closed the book she was reading, set it on her bedside table and glanced at the clock. Two in the morning?! Perhaps she'd been reading a little too long. Rubbing her eyes, she rose from the bed and placed her feet into her slippers and wrapped her dressing gown round her. She'd make herself a hot chocolate or something.<p>

Carefully and quietly she crept down the stairs. She could hear muffled whispers and giggling coming from the living room and she shook her head. No doubt Percival and Gwaine were still up, discussing Harry Potter. She plodded into the kitchen and saw Mordred, asleep on the counter again. Without making a sound she fetched a blanket from the hallway cupboard and placed it around him. He moved a little in his sleep and Kerry thought she'd woken him, but he simply turned his head the other way and laid it back down on his arm. Poor guy, she thought. What was up with him?

As noiselessly as possible, she made herself a hot chocolate and wandered up to the sleeping druid-boy. A soft smile appeared on her face as she gazed down at him. He looked so peaceful when he slept; the pained, world-weary look he nearly always wore was gone. What had he gone through in Camelot? She still didn't know who 'Kara' was.

His dark lashes fluttered a little in his sleep and a smile turned up the corners of his mouth. Well at least he was having a nice dream. Unwittingly she reached out and stroked his soft brown curls and a fierce wave of protection washed over her. She was determined to help Mordred with whatever was bothering him. Perhaps tomorrow night she'd wait up for him and chat with the lost looking druid-boy. With a sigh she pulled her hand back and stared at his sleeping form for a few more seconds admiring his gentle beauty, before she slipped out of the kitchen.

Mordred's eyes opened then and he raised his head to look at the door. He felt a familiar warmth grow inside him and he wandered why it always seemed to materialise whenever Kerry was around. Without meaning to, Kerry had actually woken him when she'd placed the blanket round him, but he'd kept quiet. She'd not said a word but had started to gently play with his hair for some reason. Only Kara had ever done that.

Before Mordred had joined the bandit gang Merlin and Arthur had found him with, he'd lived with the druids. He and Kara had been inseparable.

Mordred screwed his eyes shut as the thought of Kara made the warmth disappear and his insides tighten with the deep pain of loss. He buried his face in his hands and willed the ache to go away, but only Kerry's presence could do that and he wasn't going to follow her upstairs, that would be indecent.

He let out a groan of frustration and rose to his feet, wrapping the blanket around him a little like a cloak. Slowly he made his way back to the living room. Percival and Gwaine were still awake, sat together on the sofa, giggling and whispering. Mordred shook his head. If he didn't know any better, he'd say they had a thing for each other.

"What were _you_ doing in the kitchen with _Kerry_?" Gwaine suddenly whispered impishly in the druid boy's direction. Mordred's ears turned pink in the dark and he turned quickly away towards his air bed in the corner, ignoring Gwaine's question.

"Is that a blush?"

"I think that's a blush!"

"Oooh he's blushing." The two men dissolved into fits of giggles.

"Oh act your age! If you have to know, I fell asleep in there and Kerry came down for a drink and accidentally woke me up that's all." Mordred carefully stepped over Elyan who was sprawled on his own bed, deep asleep.

"Act our age? What all 1,500 years of it?" Percival laughed.

Gwaine put his hands together and leant forward, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "_Yooou_ like her!"

"I do not!" Mordred scoffed, a little too defensively.

"You do, you do, you dooo!" Percival pointed and grinned.

"Well what about you two?!" Mordred whispered as angrily and quietly as possible and gestured his hand towards them, clearly flustered and searching for a change of conversation. "Just get over it and kiss him!" He looked pointedly at Percival whose turn it was to blush. "And Gwaine don't try to deny it, I've seen the way you look at him!"

A few moments of awkward silence passed before Gwaine leant forward again and pointed his finger at Mordred. "Don't try to change the subject, I can tell you've got it bad for our little Kerry!"

Percival grinned, a little uneasily. "Yeh, admit it."

Mordred threw his hands up in exasperation before getting into bed and turning his back on the two men who had the mentality of children.

Percival and Gwaine sat in silence for several moments before Gwaine gave an offhand smile and shrugged. "He's just kidding you know…just worked up from our teasing is all…"

Percival pulled a face and nodded. "Yeh totally. He didn't mean it; he's just making it up."

"Exactly."

"Exactly!"

Another awkward silence passed. "Right well goodnight!"

"Yup, you too!" Percival cleared his throat and gave Gwaine a manly punch on the shoulder before climbing into his own bed.

They lay awake for a while staring at the ceiling, trying hard not to look in the other's direction, much as the desire was welling up inside them both.

Mordred peeked at them over his shoulder and grinned to himself. He knew it!

* * *

><p>The next night, Kerry kept true to her plan and stayed awake till about midnight, before creeping down to the kitchen. As she suspected Mordred was already there, his head resting on his arm on the counter and drumming his fingers as his eyelids drooped. She cleared her throat and he sat up and turned to her.<p>

"Kerry!"

"Good evening. Or should I say night?" She smiled at him.

Mordred stifled a yawn. "We really must stop meeting like this." He couldn't help the grin appearing on his face at her smile. She had her short hair tied up in a small ponytail and she was wearing a t-shirt that had _'Life feels like a music box, I'm spinning round slowly and I can't get off'_ written across it. He tilted his head to one side as he read it. "I like what's written on your top."

Kerry glanced down. "It's from a song."

"I'd like to hear it."

"Oh I'm no singer but I'll show you it tomorrow, at a decent hour." She raised her eyebrows at the latter part of the sentence. Mordred gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Couldn't sleep."

"Again?"

He gave a shrug in reply. Kerry sat on the stool next to him. She studied him for a few moments, his clear light blue eyes also taking her in with equal interest.

"Mordred…?"

He smiled, "Yes?"

Kerry bit her lip, she didn't want to make him upset by bringing it up, but she wanted to help him. "What is it?" Mordred peered into her eyes. She sighed.

'_Who was Kara?'_ she directed the thought to him. The druid-boy blinked in shock, firstly at the way she'd communicated with him and secondly at her mention of the name. He wasn't aware she knew Kara's name or that she was significant to him. But then she must've overheard the other knight's conversations. He heaved a sigh and looked down at his hands.

"Kara. Right well…she…she was my-…we were-…" he paused before looking back up at Kerry. "I loved her."

Kerry wasn't much surprised; she'd pieced that much together herself. So why had her insides tightened?

"After escaping Camelot when I was a child, I travelled with the druids for many years. She was one of them. We were inseparable. We always looked out for each other, took care of each other and so on. It was only natural that we fell in love." Mordred was again staring down at his hands. "Then something compelled me to join a group of bandits, I suppose it was part of my destiny. I saved Arthur's life and he took me to Camelot and knighted me. A few months later, we found a group of Saxons. Kara was with them. I told her to run, but she had wounds so she hid nearby. I helped to heal her, but Merlin…" He cleared his throat.

"Merlin and Arthur found her. She was…_opposed_ to Arthur's reign and tried to kill him. He had no other choice but to put her in the dungeons and sentence her to death. Well things got messy and complicated and I broke her out and tried to flee Camelot with her. It didn't work out. It ended up with both of us in the dungeons. Kara refused to admit she had been wrong to try and kill Arthur…she was executed."

Kerry's eyes were wide at this point. She placed her hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort the druid-boy. He swallowed hard but continued. "So in a fit of anger, I ran away from Camelot and joined Morgana…and well the rest you know." He looked up at her then and gave a bittersweet smile. Tears were glistening in Kerry's eyes. Poor Mordred. All that pain and agony he'd gone through, and then to be brought back and have to live with that loss all over again. She reached out and pulled him into a tight hug, burying her face in his shoulder. A surprised look came over his face; he'd not been expecting this sort of reaction from her.

"I'm so sorry, Mordred. I shouldn't have brought it up, I'm sorry!" He rubbed her back soothingly.

"No it's fine. You had a right to know, I mean everyone else already knew." When Kerry didn't pull away, Mordred just continued to rub her back in gentle circles. He heard her muffled voice but couldn't understand what she was saying. Gently he stood, dragging Kerry with him and placed his hands on her waist and pushed her back a little. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if this is why you've been coming into the kitchen at night?"

"Couldn't sleep," he repeated with a nod. Mordred wasn't conscious of the fact he'd left his hands on her waist, but Kerry was fully aware of them. However she did nothing to move them away.

"Mordred I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" she said again, her heart practically breaking on his behalf. She placed her hand on his cheek, in an effort to comfort him. It seemed to have a different effect. Neither of them noticed how close they were standing and Kerry felt herself being drawn nearer to him, like a magnetic pull. She succumbed and drew closer; he seemed to be doing the same.

For some reason, the song that was on her t-shirt was playing in her mind. She knew she should probably leave, go back upstairs to bed, ignore whatever was happening here. But his eyes had a strange look in them, a sort of yearning expression or was she just seeing the reflection of her own eyes in his? Her hand moved round to the back of his head and she pulled him down. Their lips connected. Kerry could feel and hear her heart pounding and Mordred could hear his too.

Kerry's hand slowly wound into Mordred's curly brown hair as their kiss deepened. Mordred was at first quite surprised at the sudden touch of Kerry's lips. But he felt his mind falling and twisting as any coherent thoughts fizzled away and were replaced by the woman in his arms.

All the bitter and melancholic memories seemed to slip away as he sank into the blissful embrace. Gwaine and Percival had been so right. If he'd not been thinking miserably of Kara, his thoughts had been of this young, joyful Mason girl. All he wanted at that moment was to hold her in his arms all night, kiss her, hold her safe, cause her to smile that captivating smile of hers and make her laugh.

But all of a sudden she pulled back and clapped a hand to her mouth, his head jerked forward with alarm as she broke the kiss.

"Oh my goodness!" she whispered. "I'm so sorry…I- I don't know what came over me…I'm sorry." A look of apologetic horror was set across her face and then she turned and ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Mordred heard her door shut as he stood there in disbelief, his heart still hammering away.

What the hell had just happened? What had he done wrong? Why had Kerry just run off like that? A dull ache began to reform inside his chest, only it was Kerry's name that was swimming around his head, not Kara.

After several minutes of being glued to the spot, Mordred slowly raised his hands and clutched his hair. He inhaled raggedly and screwed his eyes tightly shut. Slowly he turned in circles on the spot as his confused mind assaulted him with images of Kerry's scared and apologetic face from several moments before, and Kara's sad smile from through the Camelot dungeon bars.

Pain, happiness, rejection, love, loss, confusion, heart-ache all were muddled up into one and seemed to be reaching some sort of crescendo. The young boy fell down onto his knees, his hands still in his hair. Something inside him seemed to explode. Several vases and plates in the kitchen suddenly and simultaneously shattered. His eyes flew open and he looked at the damage he'd caused and looked down at his hands, which were shaking. His magic was not as well trained and controlled as Morgana and Merlin's, he should really try to control his rage, otherwise he'd hurt someone one day with an outburst of magic like that. As best he could, he slowed his breathing down and tried to calm himself. With several waves of his hands he cleared up the damage, hoping no one had been awoken by the noise.

A glance at the clock told him it was very late. What was going to happen in the morning? Would he and Kerry just be able to ignore or forget what had happened between them? Could he bear it if they did?

Kerry lay awake tossing and turning. What on earth had she kissed him for? After he had just told her about Kara, his executed girlfriend, she went and kissed him. Who did that?! '_Sorry about your loss, let me snog your face off!'_ Kerry rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hands. She heard some smashes from the kitchen and winced. Clearly she'd made matters worse. So much for helping Mordred. _Stupid girl_, she thought to herself bitterly. Would she be able to pretend that nothing had happened? Maybe she could outwardly, but she would never be able to forget the feel of his lips on hers. She closed her eyes and groaned in frustration. Things had been so much simpler when it was just herself and her completely normal friend Merlin. Now she had her legendary ancestors, King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, his childish knights and a PMS-ing sorceress living in her house, not to mention the druid-boy she was falling for. What was she going to say to him in the morning? How could she face him? He must think her so forward and inconsiderate. She wouldn't be surprised if he never wanted to speak to her again. Exhausted with worry and anxiety Kerry eventually fell asleep, but it was a restless night.


	14. The Castle

_**Hope you all liked the last chapter, don't you worry, Merthur is the main romance and is being developed, I just wanted to establish Mordred and Kerry cause they're cute! Ehehe ;) Anyway hope you like this bit too! :) Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews, you guys make me blush hehe xxx**_

When Kerry descended the stairs slowly the next morning, she had bags under her eyes and a miserable look to her. But she had to face him sooner or later.

He'd obviously already gotten up; his bed had been tidied up that morning. She shuffled into the kitchen and saw the others munching breakfast. Merlin paused talking to Arthur to look at her. He frowned.

"You alright, Kerry? You don't look so good…"

"Oh thanks." She mumbled, rubbing her tired eyes. A glance round the kitchen told her that Mordred wasn't here either. "Where's Mordred?" she asked, trying not to sound overly concerned. Merlin gave a shrug and shovelled some more cereal in. Arthur raised an eyebrow at the warlock and shook his head with amusement.

"I think he went out for a walk or something," Gwen smiled over her shoulder as she rifled through the cupboards, trying to locate the tea bags. "By the dragons it's good to be able to stretch again!" Gwen sighed as she pulled the box of tea down from one of the higher cupboards. Kerry suddenly remembered that Gwen, Leon and Percival had all died of old age back in Camelot. Must be strange to be suddenly given their younger bodies back and be able to run and jump again. With a shake of her head she focussed on the task at hand and nodded her thanks, grabbed an apple and sped back to her room. As quickly as possible, she dressed before heading back downstairs and out the front door. Arthur raised his eyebrows and glanced across the table at Merlin who was still stuffing his mouth with breakfast.

"I thought I was supposed to be the one with the appetite."

Merlin scowled at him, "No, you just always ate all the food before I got a look in, barely left a few mouthfuls for me - no wonder you're so tubby!"

"I. Am. Not. Fat!"

Merlin made a scoffing noise before grinning at his King who was now frowning downwards and dubiously pulling his shirt tight over his muscular stomach, trying to locate any signs of chubbiness. Merlin's eyes lingered a little too long on the stomach area…and started trailing down…Gwen coughed politely from where she was standing. The warlock blushed furiously and went back to hastily shovelling food.

* * *

><p>Kerry's walk sped up a little until she was jogging. Making a split second choice she'd turned in the direction of the path to the lake, it seemed to be at the heart of all this recent madness. It turned out to be the right decision, because after jogging a while, Kerry saw Mordred's hunched form in the distance, trudging along the path facing away from her.<p>

"Mordred!" She called out to him, but he was too deep in his thoughts to hear her. Kerry huffed and sped up; those long hours in the gym had better pay off. It didn't take her long to catch up with him.

"Mordred!" she called again. He turned in surprise but just at that critical moment, Kerry's foot tripped over a stone on the path. She went flying forwards, propelled by her momentum, towards the shocked druid-boy.

Mordred's arms caught her and he nearly toppled backwards himself with the impact, but he managed to keep his footing. Kerry regained her balance but Mordred hadn't released her from his secure grip.

"I guess I could say I just fell for you…" she smiled wryly up at him. An ever so slightly pained look came into his eyes and Kerry inwardly reprimanded herself. "Listen, Mordred we need to talk…about last night…I'm so sorry. I honestly don't know what came over me, it was totally inconsiderate of me, I couldn't have been more insensitive, I'm so sorry. Can we just put this behind us? I know you're cut up about…Kara. And me…kissing you…must not have helped at all, I am so so sorry. It's just-"

She was silenced as Mordred bent his head down and gently brushed his lips against hers. It was Kerry's turn to be a little stunned this time, but the druid simply placed his hand on her cheek as his lips continued to caress hers.

It was a soft kiss, not at all like the almost angry, impassioned kisses that are shown in the movies but a gentle and caring one. One that had a million and one emotions and thoughts poured into it, as if Mordred was telling her exactly how he felt and how much he needed her, through the simple connection of their lips.

Eventually and carefully, he broke the kiss and leaned back a little, taking in her serene expression. He waited, expecting the chatterbox to say something, or make a witty quip, or a flirty comment, but for once none came. For possibly the first time in history, Kerry Mason stood looking up into the pale blue eyes, utterly speechless. With a little sideways smile, Mordred leant in again and this time just dropped a quick kiss on her lips. Again Kerry was dumbstruck, and they both knew that there was really nothing _to_ say. So instead he reached down and took her small hand in his slightly bigger one, turned them back around and set off in the direction of home with Kerry trailing close behind him, gazing at him with an awed yet impossibly happy expression.

* * *

><p>The front door opened and Arthur looked up from a book he had found in Merlin's room, one about some man who had the same name as his, but who found himself hitchhiking across the galaxy…<p>

Mordred stepped into the kitchen with Kerry closely following…_holding the druid's hand_! The King's eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in confusion.

"Kerry you-…are you-…is he-…did you-?"

"_Finally_!" Gwen exclaimed, laughing as she went over to hug Kerry, Arthur's mouth still opening and closing in bewildered disbelief. Merlin stood and smiled at the two. He reached out and patted Kerry's arm then ruffled Mordred's hair, who chuckled and batted the warlock's arm off in a friendly way. The other knights wolf whistled and slapped Mordred on the back in a way that showed they were beginning to re-accept him. Morgana just rolled her eyes, but there was maybe a hint of a smile there. Arthur was still dazed, he felt shocked. Kerry…with a man? _His_ descendent? With Mordred? He felt a fierce wave of parental-like protection, as most father figures would do if their daughter brought home a boy.

"No. _No_!" he shook his head. "Kerry, really? Mordred? Aren't you a little too young?"

Kerry turned to look at him, a puzzled look on her face. "I'm 26, Arthur…"

"Exactly! You can wait a few more years. No need to court just yet."

"Wha-?"

"I mean seriously!"

Kerry frowned and looked across to Merlin who shrugged and turned back to Arthur. "Arthur…what's wrong?" The warlock asked with a quizzical expression.

"You can't just-…I mean-…he _killed_ me!" The King was desperately searching around for reasons for his protest now.

Mordred sputtered and his eyebrows rose as he tried to form some sort of counter-argument, before Kerry cut him off.

"Arthur. What's your problem?"

"No problem, I just think you're rushing things is all!"

"You're acting like a dad with his precious daughter, Arthur – you're not my father!"

"I'm as good as!" Arthur's voice rose with indignation, and Merlin could feel tension and anger building up in the atmosphere. Making a split decision, he reached out and tried to grab hold of Arthur's arm, but the King turned to face Mordred as the warlock moved, and Merlin ended up grabbing Arthur's hand instead. His cheeks tinging ever so slightly pink, Merlin ignored this and dragged the protesting Arthur out of the kitchen, grabbing his coat and keys in the hallway.

As quickly as possible Merlin shoved the still objecting Arthur into the car before climbing in himself and driving off.

* * *

><p>Arthur's cheek rested on the side of the car door by the window, his breathing making the glass fog up every now and then. The hunched over figure looked the picture of gloominess and Merlin resisted the urge to rub his shoulder.<p>

The King heaved a dejected sigh and mumbled something that sounded like a question.

"Sorry?" Merlin replied, changing lanes.

"I _said_, clotpole, where are you driving us?"

Merlin chewed his lip, still wondering if this had been a good idea or not.

"You'll see."

Arthur gave another sigh and went back to staring miserably out the window.

After a while of driving, they were a distance from the town. Merlin drove up a gentle hill and then pulled into a car park. It was pretty full despite it only being around ten in the morning. Arthur sat up, still the picture of misery.

"Where are we?"

Merlin leant over and pointed through Arthur's window. Following the pointing finger, Arthur's gaze saw over the trees, a tower belonging to a very familiar castle…or what was left of it.

"Camelot…" he breathed, "We've been in Camelot the whole time?"

"Not quite, the people moved away from the castle when it began to fall into ruins. The crown had passed over many times and the current King lived in London. No one in a hundred miles had the money to keep it in good condition…it just…crumbled."

Arthur was silent for a moment, his eyes glazed over. He cleared his throat after a few minutes. "Shouldn't it be in possession of the Mason family then? Technically it belongs to Kerry…"

Merlin shook his head. "Like I said, there were many wars and battles, the Pendragons couldn't hold onto the throne. When the generation of girls came and changed the surname, some big Lord came from across the seas, won the support of the people who didn't much care for a monarch that didn't even bear the Pendragon name and won the throne. To everyone else, the Pendragons just vanished, and became legend."

Arthur looked sadly at his old home. "Couldn't you have…I don't know, done something to look after it?"

"Hey! I was busy protecting your bloody family and getting them out of scrapes! Your descendants were pretty hard to look after, always finding trouble and falling into some death trap, especially the girls. They were all taking after you, I suppose."

The corners of Arthur's mouth twitched.

"Besides, when the throne changed hands, they had to hide for a while. I spent a few centuries in Wales with them before we moved back. By then, even they'd forgotten they owned the place."

Arthur turned back at Merlin and stared into the warlock's blue eyes. So much time had this young man seen, to speak of centuries like they were merely weeks. Arthur's eyebrow raised a fraction and a bewildered yet gentle smile slowly spread across his face.

"You really did care for me…" he cleared his throat, "-for my family."

Merlin, too lost in the smile to form a reply, simply nodded. Then, gathering his wits he grabbed the door handle.

"Right, let's not waste the day sat in the car, come on dollophead!" and he walked briskly to the ticket office.

* * *

><p>"Ha!...HA!" Stood in the castle courtyard, which now featured many benches and information signs, Arthur spun around, his hands on his head, running his fingers through the blonde hair, causing it to stick out at all angles. It reminded Merlin of the time Arthur thought he'd defeated Kilgharrah.<p>

Very much like that night, so many years ago, Merlin wore one of his grins as he watched the King jog from sign to sign, and then suddenly tear around the courtyard whooping. Several mums ushered their children away to the museum shop area, with concerned expressions on their faces, but neither man cared. Arthur approached Merlin, puffing a little and red in the face from the excitement.

"I can't- this is-…thank-you for bringing me here, Merlin."

The darker haired man shrugged, still grinning. Arthur rewarded him with one of his lopsided smiles that Merlin had secretly missed so much before he ran off again to look at a different sign.

Eventually Arthur had calmed down and was walking through the museum and gallery part of the castle that was housed in the hall where the knight's quarters had once been. Arthur paused in front of a model of the castle as it had been, with a nostalgic look on his face.

"Mummy! It's King Arthur, look mummy!"

Arthur's head jerked up in alarm and he spun around, nearly knocking over a mannequin wearing replica chainmail. A little girl of about six stood looking up in awe at a faded painting. The girl's mother came over and looked before smiling and pointing at a pile of medieval dressing up clothes for children in the corner. With a squeal of delight, the child ran over to the gowns, immediately losing interest in the painting.

Arthur however moved slowly over to the large painting. It was clearly old, though not as old as he was. The portrait of a young man grasping the hilt of a large familiar sword that was partially buried in a stone had a shocking resemblance to himself that seemed impossible, given that the painter had never seen him before. Arthur glanced at the sign below the portrait.

'_King Arthur and Excalibur, The Sword in the Stone – Geoffrey Mason. Circa 1632.'_

A Mason. That would explain it.

"_Mer_lin." Arthur called out. The warlock looked up and saw what had captured Arthur's attention. Sheepishly he made his way over. "This portrait…take that beard away and there is a startling familiarity about it, wouldn't you agree?" He raised his eyebrows at Merlin questioningly, who kept his gaze fixed on the painting. "In fact, even the eyes are the same colour, what a coincidence."

When Merlin still kept his silence, Arthur punched him on the arm in a friendly gesture. "Come on then, why the obviously commissioned and spot-on picture? Miss me or something?" he teased.

At last the warlock tore his eyes from the painted shade of blue to the original. "More than I care to admit." He managed to whisper. Arthur blinked in surprise at the sadness in Merlin's eyes; he'd been expecting some sort of 'you wish' remark, not this.

"R-really?" he said, knowing the answer, but wanting to hear it nonetheless.

"I didn't even think you were…coming back at all, but something kept me alive so that I'd find you again…I don't know what it was, but I'm thankful for it now. I _died_ every single day waiting for you, Arthur."

The suffering Merlin had endured for a thousand and a half years was faintly written across his face, despite his futile attempts at concealing it. The warlock swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Arthur saw the pain hidden in the jaw clench and dark blue eyes.

He took a step closer towards the other man.

"Every day?" he asked, examining Merlin's defiant features.

"Every. Bloody. Day."

The blonde looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, Merlin."

"It's not your-"

"No, I'm sorry for all that you've gone through. No human should ever have to endure that. I-…I wish it had not happened to you, of all the people in this world."

Merlin was acutely aware of how close they were now standing. The hall was deserted and they were stood alone.

The king hesitated for a brief moment before pulling Merlin into a tight embrace. His nose brushed against the warlock's ear, and Merlin's skin tingled at the contact. Arthur inhaled the scent of his old friend as the hug was returned. A mixture of old and new; the new 21st century smell of freshly washed clothes that Arthur secretly found pleasant, and the old, yet still familiar combination of mint and something else he had never figured out, but was the scent that Arthur had always recognised as belonging to Merlin.

"Well I'm back now." His voice came out more gruff than usual, as he felt the warlock's body tremble slightly. "I'm here. And I'm not planning on dying again anytime soon."

Merlin let out a chuckle and took a deep breath before pulling back. Arthur's hand rested on his shoulder. "I will never leave you again, Merlin. I promise." He gave Merlin's shoulder a squeeze before letting his hand drop again.

The warlock shakily let his breath out and hoped against hope his legs wouldn't give way with the enormous wave of relief and joy that swept across him at Arthur's words. He knew the prat wouldn't just walk off or die on him again, but hearing those words spoken out loud was overwhelming. All those years, just to hear those words. It was as if they were in reply to Merlin's whispered "Stay with me" that he'd spoken as Arthur had been dying by Avalon.

"Prat." He managed to choke out and a smile slowly spread across his face, before he punched the bigger man feebly on the arm.

"You need to work on your punches, Merlin." Arthur grinned, relieved to see that smile again. They stood for a few seconds more, just grinning stupidly at each other, before Arthur ruffled Merlin's dark hair and pulled him into a headlock and dragged him off to look around the other displays.


	15. The Cold

_**Hope you guys like this bit too! :) reviews are appreciated a lot! :D xxx**_

"Achoo!" Merlin sneezed for the eighth time. Hastily he grabbed yet another tissue and blew his nose. "I think I'm getting a cold."

"Let's hope it's a bad one." Arthur muttered, not looking up from the pile of DVDs he was looking through on the floor of the living-room back at the house. It had been several weeks since visiting the castle and Arthur had decided he wanted to see what this modern world thought of him. He had started with children's story books, which he'd admittedly enjoyed, and was now starting to work through the strange moving pictures that people never seemed to shut-up about. He picked up a Disney one and passed it to Merlin who looked at the title.

"'The Sword in the Stone'…seriously? Could your ego get any bigger?"

"Shut-up, Merlin." Arthur said automatically as he passed over two more; 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' and 'King Arthur'. Merlin rolled his eyes but placed them on top of 'The Sword in the Stone'.

"What's the one that Kerry likes?" Arthur frowned, rubbing his chin, which had some stubble growing.

"Oh…'Quest For Camelot?' That the one you mean?"

Arthur grunted in acknowledgement before finding it and chucking it at Merlin who just about managed to catch it.

"Easy there, clotpole." Merlin put the DVD on the new pile, before sneezing again. "Yup, definitely a cold."

"Can't you just magic it better?"

"Doesn't work like that I'm afraid."

Gwaine wandered into the room then and saw the vast array of DVDs on the floor and raised his eyebrows at Merlin.

"He's just boosting his already huge ego." The warlock grinned, before a well-aimed DVD box hit his head. "Ow, hey!"

Arthur looked around innocently before whistling and continuing to sort through the DVDs. Percival then entered the room and leaned his arm on Gwaine's shoulder.

"That's so patronising, Perce." Gwaine rolled his eyes at his best friend but smiled nonetheless.

Everyone had noticed how Percival was never away from Gwaine for more than a few minutes at a time, always leaning on him, or punching him in a friendly manner on the arm. It seemed the larger man had to see and feel Gwaine's tangible presence, as if he needed to reassure himself that he was really there, like he was worried the man would disappear or something and he would be alone without him again. It was both heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time.

"I was going to see if you wanted to play on the Xbox Gwaine, but it looks like _his highness_ has taken over the room."

Arthur looked up, raising an eyebrow and glared but nonetheless stacked the rest of the DVDs in the corner before rising to his feet. "It's all yours." He bowed low to the two knights in a mocking manner. "My lords." And with that he swept out of the room calling back "My ego can wait till later!"

Merlin rose to follow whilst Gwaine switched the Xbox on. Percival flung himself onto the sofa and once the game had been set up, Gwaine settled himself onto the floor, leaning against the other knight's legs. Percival looked down at the other man with a soft and caring smile. He gently reached out and twirled a lock of the other man's hair, playing around with the curl before clearing his throat and concentrating on the game.

Gwaine smiled to himself. He knew about Percival's need for his presence, and couldn't deny he always needed the other knight nearby too. Carefully and softly he leant his head against Percival's knee, causing a stupid grin to spread across the larger man's face.

* * *

><p>In the kitchen, Arthur sat at the table beside Morgana, who by now had stopped stiffening and putting on a cold demeanour at his approach and didn't seem to mind his company as much anymore.<p>

Merlin wandered to the cupboards and took out some cups.

"Merlin…?"

"Hmm?" Merlin half turned towards Arthur as he scooped some coffee into the cups.

"I've been thinking…about our return…"

"If you're wondering about why, then the only new thing I have to go on is that Welsh Cadair Idris folk tale, otherwise all I've got is that weird little legend about the cave and the knights sleeping-"

"No, it's not about that. I was wondering why Lancelot isn't here…" Morgana looked up from her book and her eyes widened a little before she began reading again in earnest. It went unnoticed by either man and Arthur continued. "At first I thought it was because he proved himself disloyal at the end, but then in that case Mordred…and you, Morgana, wouldn't be here either."

Merlin paused, the kettle in his hand.

"Ah…hmm…the only logical reason I can come up with, not that anything about this whole thing is logical at all, is that…ah well…you've not heard this story yet."

"Heard what? About what?" Morgana rose to leave quietly and slowly, so as to not draw attention to herself.

"Lancelot…and Gwen…"

Arthur's hands slowly fisted. "I think I know all I need to about _that_ story."

"There's more you don't know...I couldn't tell you at the time, see, otherwise you would have questioned Gaius and I, and probably found out about my magic, and it wouldn't have made anything better for Gwen…"

Arthur frowned and looked at Merlin and then noticed Morgana creeping away.

"Tell me then. Morgana what are you doing sneaking around like that?"

She froze and turned. A moment's hesitation and she raised her chin slightly. "Nothing, I'm just bored with my book…I'm going to change it."

Merlin narrowed his eyes at Morgana and gave her a calculating look. "So it _was_ you then."

"I don't know what you're-"

"Morgana please. There's no point in hiding it now, you can't get into any trouble. There's nothing to be done about it anyway it's all in the past."

Arthur rose to his feet, frowning. "What? What's all in the past?! What did you do this time, Morgana?"

"Look okay I'm sorry, I only wanted what was mine and I'm sorry now."

"Dragons above! Just tell me! What else did you do?!"

Merlin moved over and placed his hand on Arthur's arm comfortingly. "Arthur, calm down. There's nothing you can do about it now." He sighed before he began to speak in a gentle manner. "It wasn't Lancelot who came back after the veil, it was a Shade."

"Calm? Who said I wasn't calm?! And what do you mean by 'Shade', what the hell is a 'Shade'?!"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Sit down, Arthur."

"Did you just give me an order."

"Yes."

"Feel good did it?"

"It was not unpleasing, now stop being so bloody tetchy and listen calmly and quietly, if you can!"

Arthur's eyebrows rose but for once he did as he was told.

Merlin recounted the events of Lancelot's return, and that he was in fact a shade conjured by Morgana, whom Merlin had always suspected was behind it, but had never known for definite.

"So you see it wasn't really the Lancelot you knew. Before I set him to rest…I used my magic to free him from Morgana's spell and the _real_ Lance came back and thanked me, before dying…again. I think that's why he hasn't returned – because he's already died twice in a way. He crossed the veil too many times for one soul perhaps."

Morgana, who had been leaning against the wall with her arms folded, looked down to the floor. Merlin was always the better of the two sorcerers. Always doing the right and moral thing, and undoing her wrongs. Why was she so horrible? She was sick of herself.

Arthur had been slumped on the table throughout the story, resting his head on his arms. He raised his head and glanced up at Merlin.

"So…Lancelot didn't really betray me…" Merlin shook his head. Arthur sighed and placed his head back down. "All this time…I thought so badly of him, when he was probably one of my most loyal of knights…But Gaius was right; it still doesn't excuse Gwen's actions."

Morgana then peeked up at Arthur through her dark lashes. Merlin was always being moral and right, well now she could have a stab at it and come clean.

She cleared her throat and the two men looked over at her.

"Actually…Gwen was completely blameless. I gave an enchanted bracelet to the Shade to give to her. It made her fall in love with Lancelot again. I was forced to enchant her because she was too in love with you. I suppose she took it off after all that happened…and the enchantment was broken."

Arthur blinked in shock and didn't speak for a full minute. "Right. Well. To sum up, I banished my fiancée for being enchanted into fancying a creepy Shade thing. Great. Well I suppose I'd better go and find Gwen and apologise to her okay?" He stood so suddenly the chair toppled over, but he ignored it and marched out, presumably to find Gwen.

Morgana stood in silence for a few moments, chewing her lip. She looked full of emotional turmoil and regret; her hard, unfeeling mask had dropped for a second or two. Merlin studied her before he spoke up. "I didn't know about the bracelet…you did the right thing in telling him." She glanced up at him and the mask was back. "Arthur…he'll come round-"

"As if I care whether the little King is angry with me. What else is new? I'm just the evil sorceress no one wanted to return. Well sorry I'm back, there's nothing I can do to change that!"

She turned on her heel and was about to stomp out when Merlin caught her wrist.

"Merlin-"

"I'm glad you're back, Morgana. Sincerely, I am."

The high priestess looked at the warlock with a disbelieving expression but raised her eyebrows in question.

"Yes, you're a bit of a drama queen at times," Morgana's eyebrows rose even further, "and quite like Regina George from Mean Girls," the sorceress had not watched this film yet, so the reference didn't quite sink in, but she remained quiet waiting for Merlin to finish. "But look at what's happened since you've returned. Everyone now gets on more or less, you and Arthur have the chance to be brother and sister once more and all our wrongs have been forgiven."

When Morgana still didn't say anything, Merlin gave her one of his adorably dorky smiles. "We get a second chance, Morgana."

Morgana's own mouth twitched into a small smile and Merlin let her arm go.

"Thank-you…Merlin." She hesitated but then swept out.

Merlin sat down at the table on his own and sighed. Then sneezed.

"Great. Just what I need."

* * *

><p>The next day, Merlin woke, as predicted, with an almighty cold. Coughing, blocked nose, sore throat, high temperature – the whole lot. Arthur, down on his airbed, woke to the sneezing.<p>

"Merlin shut-up."

Sneeze.

"Merlin!"

Sneeze

"Look get a handkerchief!"

Sneeze.

Several books suddenly flew off Merlin's shelves and hit the drowsy King who immediately sat up indignantly. "Hey!"

"Mmsorry." Merlin mumbled, "my magic sometimes does this when I have a cold."

"That's a lie."

"Ok fine, I woke you up – can you get me a hot drink?"

Arthur scoffed. "Excuse me, who's King?"

"Arthur, please?"

"Oh very well, but I'm not your skivvy!"

Annoyed, Arthur threw the covers off and stomped out. Merlin lay still in bed for a few moments, shivering. He glanced at the recently vacated airbed and then the door. Weakly he reached down and yanked the King's duvet off his bed. Wrapped up in two duvets, Merlin buried himself further into the residual warmth left by Arthur's body. He inhaled and could smell Arthur's scent; a fresh, minty aroma from all the mint leaves he still liked to chew. Without noticing, Merlin smiled and tugged the covers closers, snuggling even further into the cosiness.

Soon enough, Arthur returned bearing a cup of tea and a slice of toast – poorly buttered – Arthur still couldn't get the hang of that. At first he couldn't see Merlin for the duvets. Slowly he approached the bed and set the cup and plate down on the bedside table.

"Merlin?" he whispered and peeked over the covers. A black tuft of hair was sticking out from underneath the mountain of soft covers. The warlock was fast asleep again. Shaking his head, Arthur rearranged the bedding around Merlin to make sure he was completely covered up and warm.

The King then set about getting everything Merlin could possibly need and putting it all within arm's reach of the softly snoring man.

Quietly he crept out of the room and went downstairs to get himself some breakfast.

* * *

><p>Merlin slept most of the day, waking up every now and then to go to the bathroom or to have a coughing fit. Arthur surprised Merlin, and the rest of the household, by diligently caring for the warlock; ensuring he was comfortable, making him hot water bottles (gaining one or two scalds in the process), and making him honey and lemon tea (with Kerry's help).<p>

Finally it was night time. Arthur grabbed a spare blanket from the linen cupboard and settled down into bed, a safe distance from Merlin's sneeze range, and closed his heavy eyes.

He heard some rustling and opened one eye. Merlin was throwing the covers off and rising shakily to his feet. He swayed a little before bolting towards the door. Forgetting Arthur was there, Merlin tripped over the airbed and landed heavily on his temporary carer, who gave a loud 'oof'

"Sorry," he mumbled, trying to free himself from the tangle of blankets and limbs.

"Merlin, are you okay? What's wrong?" Arthur's hand brushed against the skin of Merlin's bare back and his hand tingled with the contact, before he noticed the burning heat and sweat it was emitting.

"Merlin, you're burning up!"

"I'mgonnabesick!" the skinnier man garbled before finally freeing himself and quickly running to the bathroom. As Arthur managed to disentangle himself and head for the bathroom, he heard the poor man being sick.

With a grimace, Arthur pushed open the door. Merlin was hunched pitifully over the toilet bowl, shivering and green-looking.

Quietly Arthur approached him and gently patted his back as Merlin retched and vomited. By the time he had finished emptying his stomach; Arthur was rubbing soothing patterns on his back. The King sat Merlin on the side of the bath and cleaned him up with a cool flannel before placing Merlin's scrawny arm round his shoulder and heaving him back to bed.

With a gentleness Merlin hadn't known him to have, Arthur tucked his manservant into bed before sitting beside him on the edge and set a cool compress against the raven-haired man's forehead.

"Thank-you," Merlin managed to whisper. Arthur half-smiled.

"Get some rest."

Merlin closed his tired eyes and sank back into the soft pillows. Absentmindedly, Arthur began to hum. It was one of the bawdy folk songs that had been commonly sung in the Rising Sun, the tavern back in Camelot, some song about a lonely widow beating the devil at something, wasn't it?

Merlin hadn't realised that Arthur knew it; the King had not frequented the tavern as often as he and Gwaine had, except for the odd bet or game. He'd only been able to go when things were calm and quiet in Camelot, and that had not been often.

The humming soon turned to mumbling, and then soft singing and quite surprisingly Arthur had a decent voice. Low and rich. It made Merlin feel relaxed and safe. Too soon the song came to an end and silence followed. Merlin frowned and feebly kicked the King.

"Hey! What?"

"Singing."

"What, you don't like it? Well sorry I'm not the best in all Albion, _Mer_lin!"

The warlock shook his head as much as the aching would allow.

"Sing!" he said in a sleepy, weak voice.

Arthur's eyebrows rose, then pulled down into a frown, before he finally rolled his eyes and began to hum again, slowly slipping into the lyrics of another tavern song. Soon enough, Merlin was asleep, breathing deeply.

Arthurs' voice had dropped back to a hum as he could feel his own eyelids drooping. Somehow he found himself pulling some of the duvet over him and lying down at the bottom of Merlin's bed. The warlock's cold feet brushed against his skin and Arthur tensed reflexively at the iciness, but he was too tired to do anything about them. Eventually the King too was snoring lightly, Merlin's feet warming up against his torso and the warlock's intermittent sniffles permeating the quiet.

* * *

><p>Gwen rose an hour or two later, as she had promised Arthur earlier, to check on Merlin. The tired King had completely forgotten.<p>

Silently she peeked round the door and saw the two boys curled up in Merlin's bed and grinned quietly in the dark to herself. Without a sound, so as not to wake either of them, she shut the door and went back to her room.

Leon stirred as she climbed back into bed and pulled her close to him, burying his face in her curls.

"Merlin ok?" he yawned sleepily, not bothering to open his eyes.

Gwen smiled again, before replying. "Oh yes. He's quite alright."

"That's good," – another yawn – "Goodnight."

Leon dropped a sleepy kiss on the back of her neck and was very quickly asleep again.

Gwen's smile remained in place as she too succumbed to dreams, and once more the house was quiet.


	16. The Holiday

_**Sorry I've not updated in a while! I'm revising for exams which start on Monday! So updates may be a little sparse for a bit whilst I get those out of the way! Hopefully this bit will last you till then! :) xxx**_

Early dawn light streamed through the curtains and gently lit the room in a soft orange hue. Arthur squinted at the sunlight which had woken him. Yawning, he snuggled deeper under the covers. Merlin's bed was so comfortable! Perhaps he should have accepted the warlock's offer and taken the bed instead of the airbed.

At some point in the night, Arthur had turned around so that he was now top-and-tailing; his feet were now beside Merlin's head. An arm was resting across his shins and he slowly noticed that his own arm was trapped under Merlin's feet. The fever seemed to have left him as his skin was now a normal temperature.

Carefully, and with a lot of effort, Arthur managed to extricate himself from Merlin's arms and feet without waking him, and the blonde man crept out, a little red in the face. He had just shared a bed with Merlin. _Merlin!_

Arthur shook his head violently as he stood on the landing. What confused him the most was that it just wasn't shocking him as much as it should have been, it hadn't felt weird...in fact part of him wanted to crawl back into the bed and curl up beside the sleeping dollophead and watch him dream.

Arthur frowned and inwardly suppressed the thought. That wasn't what men did! He shook his head again and turned towards the stairs, just as Kerry's bedroom door opened.

Mordred emerged, yawning and stretching…_and wearing only boxers!_

Arthur's eyes bulged, and he restrained himself from grabbing the druid boy's throat there and then. The younger man suddenly realised Arthur was stood there glaring at him, he froze, blushing furiously.

"Ah…er…morning Arthur…"

The Pendragon raised a hand and pointed at him but couldn't quite yet form words. Of course Kerry chose that moment to walk out of her room, wearing a thin dressing gown and obviously nothing much else. She bumped into the frozen Mordred who broke from his horrified trance to wrap his arms behind him, in a vain attempt to shield her, futilely hoping Arthur maybe hadn't noticed. Arthur, whose turn it was to blush, covered his eyes.

"Oh! Arthur! What the hell? Oh dear…" Kerry gibbered, clearly flustered.

"It's er…not what you thi-" Mordred began.

"I'm not stupid!" Arthur removed his hand to glower at them. Kerry stood peeking out from behind Mordred. There were a few moments of awkward silence before Arthur took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of his nose before slowly stretching out his hand towards the druid boy.

Mordred glanced at the hand and then over his shoulder at Kerry, before shaking Arthur's offered hand, suspiciously.

"Truce." Arthur muttered and let go, sighing a faint "it was going to happen at some point." He was about to turn to the stairs before he paused. "But if you hurt her in anyway, I'll kill you…again…"

Kerry ineffectively suppressed laughter and Mordred smiled at the protective king.

"Understood sire."

Arthur grunted in reply and, no longer feeling hungry for breakfast, turned around and slouched back into his shared room, leaving Mordred and Kerry standing together on the landing. Kerry laughed then and pulled Mordred to face her. He gazed down into the dark blue of her eyes, the corners creased as she grinned. Reaching up on tiptoes, Kerry kissed him lightly on the lips and stepped into the bathroom, leaving Mordred standing on the landing, gazing after her with an adoring look in his own eyes. She switched the shower on and her voice came then, which was thankfully mostly drowned out by the noise of the water.

"Well come on then, don't just stand there!"

And he blushed before following her and locking the door.

* * *

><p>Back inside the bedroom, the King yawned and looked at the clock on the warlock's bedside table. 6am – what would he be doing in Camelot right now? Sleeping probably, or lying awake waiting for Merlin to skip in, before feigning sleep to annoy his manservant. He smirked as he remembered the liberties he'd allowed the young man; dragging him out of bed one day, stuffing food into his mouth another, and Arthur seemed to remember Merlin calling him "lazy daisy"...<p>

It had been fun, something to brighten his day, and Arthur would go to bed in the evenings, wondering with amusement as to what new wake-up call the cheeky servant would come up with this time.

Merlin sniffled in his sleep, the cold still there, just not feverish, and Arthur was pulled back to the present. He smiled as he thought of how Merlin had seemed to fall back into the same routine since his return, of waking him with silly rhymes or cruel duvet-snatching.

Last week, Arthur had been particularly hard to wake and Merlin had resorted to dragging (with great difficulty) the air bed, the king still on it to the landing and when Arthur had still stubbornly refused to budge from the warmth, been shoved down the stairs, air-bed and all. That had woken him up alright. The king had then leapt to his feet from the crumpled disarray on the floor and taken the stairs three at a time, causing the warlock to squeal and flee back into the room. Using his superior strength, the King had managed to push the door open, (Merlin's feeble attempt to hold it shut failing), and had proceeded to tackle Merlin to the floor and rub his knuckles against the top of his head, which the sorcerer particularly disliked.

Kerry had called up the stairs at that point, telling them to stop playing 'Alexander and Hephaestion', whatever that meant. Merlin had seemingly understood and shoved Arthur off, reddening.

The King now looked fondly down at his friend, who was sprawled in a disarrayed yet comfortable fashion in the warm bed, jaw slack with sleep. It wouldn't hurt to sleep a little longer; no one was awake at this time anyway, well except for Mordred and Kerry. Arthur cringed at the reminder of that.

Clearing his mind and making a snap decision, he pulled the covers back enough to let him squeeze under beside the sleeping man. Lying still and letting the warmth envelop him, Arthur stared at the ceiling for a long time until slowly he peeked to his right. Merlin's droopy sleeping face was relatively close and the King chuckled quietly at how dorky he looked as he slept.

Gently he turned to face his friend and studied the shape of his face, the prominent cheekbones, the one large ear sticking up whilst the other lay buried in the soft pillow. A little stubble was showing on the man's jaw and tentatively Arthur brushed a finger against the roughness. Suddenly, and absurdly, he wanted Merlin to open his eyes, just to study in equal depth that specific blue of his. He wanted Merlin to wake so he could watch the lips pull into one of the dollop-head's smiles. He wanted to know what it would be like to hug a sleepy Merlin, to feel the gangly arms wrap dozily around him and those lips huff a tired sigh into his hair.

A strange warmth spread throughout his body, one that disconcerted him a little at the intensity of it. Blushing like he'd never done before, the blonde retracted his hand, hoping that Merlin wasn't really awake, or that no one could read his mind. But, as Arthur glanced round to check, it was still only just past six in the morning, and with a night spent being sick and shivering, the warlock was unlikely to be awake for another three hours at the very least.

His wondering continued until Arthur cautiously reached under the cover and found Merlin's arm. So as not to wake him, or cause any discomfort, he silently and slowly placed the arm over his own body, to that he felt protected by his friend's unconscious embrace. Again, glancing behind and listening out for any noise or movement, other than the blast of the shower, Arthur shuffled a little closer towards the heat of the slighter man's body. 'This is so wrong,' he thought briefly, before another voice in his head piped up, oddly Kerry-like. _And just what is so wrong about it?_ Arthur frowned, trying to think of an answer to that. 'Well, I shouldn't be this close to Merlin'. _Why?_ 'Because it's not what men do'._ How do you know?_ 'Well I'm not supposed to want to cuddle up to men!'_ And _do_ you? _'Oh my gods, Kerry get out of my head!'

A giggly laugh echoed in his mind, as if he'd really just had a conversation with the woman. He glared suddenly and pushed Merlin's arm away before turning his back towards the sleeping man. With a countenance that could melt stone, the King glowered around the room, lying still in his thoughts. Eventually tiredness and the earliness of the hour (for Arthur) won over the king and he lightly dozed. Merlin stirred in his sleep and scooted closer to Arthur's warm body, seeking the heat. The warlock nuzzled into his back, the smaller body extremely close, and it oddly felt…comfortable. The King swore he could feel Merlin's cheek resting gently against his back, and it took more willpower than he'd care to admit to restrain from turning round and pulling Merlin in closer. With a smile on his handsome face, Arthur slipped back into his light doze, his friends curled into him. It was probably the most comfortable either had been in a while.

* * *

><p>It was another day or two before Merlin felt completely recovered. Arthur had been a rather good carer and Merlin admitted to himself that he may have milked it a bit, enjoying being waited on by the King. The two men seemed even more inseparable now, almost as bad as Percival and Gwaine. One breakfast, as Merlin was munching on some toast, Kerry came and plonked herself down next to him.<p>

"So I know we've got a houseful of people now, but you promised we'd go camping in the spring ages ago! It's June now!" Merlin peeked sideways at her puppy eyes and then rolled his own.

"This lot? Camping?

"Well you said they went on patrols, camping is way nicer!"

Merlin gave a shrug and took another bite of his toast.

"Oh come on!" Kerry whined, "It's no fun without you. You know I can't put up my own tent!"

Arthur wandered in then and snatched a slice of Merlin's toast.

"Oi-"

"What's this about camping? Hey! Merlin you said we could go out on a patrol sometime!"

Merlin put his half eaten slice of toast down with a sigh.

"Fine! You guys are going to turn me grey!"

Arthur laughed and ruffled the warlock's mop of dark hair. "Well you are 1500 years old, Merlin – it's time you showed it."

Merlin peeked up at Arthur who was standing over him, by his chair. He tried to glare but ended up grinning at the King's cheeky expression. Arthur's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard and the King looked away quickly, before moving off to look in the fridge for more food.

Kerry's eyebrows rose at this but she said nothing as she picked up some fruit. She wandered out of the kitchen, saying she was going to start sorting through the camping equipment, secretly grinning to herself.

* * *

><p>In the end, more camping gear had to be bought, and even then Merlin gave in and booked a caravan at the site they would be staying at.<p>

A minibus was also hired as there no way that they would all fit into Merlin's small car plus camping things.

Percival and Gwaine were probably the most excited, running around, carrying sleeping bags and foldable tables and chairs into the van happily.

Finally after a day or two, everything that was needed had been bought and loaded into the minibus and Merlin realised that he could no longer put it off. So after one last check around the house, everyone piled in; Merlin, Arthur and Kerry in the front, and the others spread out throughout the back, Morgana even sat next to Elyan, with whom she seemed to be becoming friends with, ironically.

Arthur sat quietly throughout the three-hour journey to the coast, staring out at Albion through the windows, seeing how much it had changed. Every now and then he'd glance at Merlin, who seemed to sense being watched and would catch his gaze. Both gave a little smile before turning back to driving and staring. Kerry was in control of the map and intermittently would point out places of interest to Arthur, or would twist in her seat to say something to Mordred, who was lazing on a three-seater behind them, half asleep.

Soon enough they rolled into the campsite and found their spot. The sun shone down on them as they began unpacking and putting up the boys' tents. Kerry, Morgana and Gwen were staying in the caravan and so they spent their time sorting out their things inside or standing on the step, laughing at the knights who were finding the putting up part of the tents a tad difficult.

Percival and Gwaine quickly lost interest in following the instructions and began sword fighting with the tent poles instead, whilst Elyan went in search of the water tap to fill up the large camping bottle.

Gwaine and Percival were obviously sharing a tent of their own (that went without saying), whilst Arthur and Merlin were also sharing a two man tent. Leon and Elyan were sleeping in one of two compartments in a larger six-man tent, whilst Mordred had the other compartment to himself.

Gwen laughed as Leon became entangled in the guy ropes and fell down in a rather comical way, whilst Gwaine was now trapped underneath the tent sheets. Mordred of course used his magic to set up his half of the tent; however it promptly fell down as the other half gave no support. It didn't help that Elyan had re-joined the group and was now also getting tangled in the guy ropes, trying to pull Leon free.

Arthur surveyed them all from his and Merlin's perfectly put up tent (magic had admittedly been involved), with a content smile on his face.

"Just like the old days, eh?" Merlin's voice came from behind, as the warlock emerged from their tent; he'd just been sorting out the beds.

"Almost…" Arthur gestured to the modern caravan, at which Merlin gave a chuckle. This would definitely be an interesting trip.


	17. The Beach

_**Thanks for bearing with me whilst I've had exams on! Bit of a longer one as a reward ;) Hope you enjoy it! And thanks so much for the lovely reviews and all the follows and faves, makes my day!**_

_**Xxx**_

A while later, a _long_ while later, the tents were all more or less up and habitable. By now it was evening, and the sun was beginning to set. Merlin packed everyone into the minibus and set off.

"Where are we going?"

"C'mon, Merlin tell us!"

"What secrets lie between those huge ears of yours?"

Ignoring the nagging and taunts, Merlin simply continued driving, a smile on his face. A couple of minutes later and a hush fell over the van as Merlin rounded a corner and the sea came into view, a bright orangey-pink sunset shimmered on the surface.

Arthur's eyes widened as he stared, but he at last managed quiet murmur.

"I'd forgotten how beautiful Albion was…"

And for once Merlin didn't correct him on his automatic use of 'Albion'.

* * *

><p>The beach was pretty quiet, the odd couple strolling along the shore with their dog here and there. Kerry gently laced her fingers through Mordred's and leant her head against his arm. He in turn rested his own head on hers, and they stood still at the top of the beach, looking out to sea.<p>

Even Percival and Gwaine seemed calmer and quieter, going off to paddle in the waves together. Merlin sat himself down on the cool sand and Arthur stood beside him, hands in pockets, the wind fluttering his shirt and causing those golden locks to fall into his eyes. He stood taking everything in.

Merlin glanced up at his friend and was struck by how handsome, no – _beautiful_, the King looked. An odd realisation perhaps, but that was the only way to describe the way the sunset fell on him; highlighting his cheekbones and jaw perfectly, and the way the dusky light made Arthur's skin look a healthy tan colour in the fading orange rays.

It made Merlin feel sad for some reason, and his heart began to ache. He swallowed, his throat dry, before turning his gaze back to the sea.

Eventually Arthur removed his hands from his pockets and sat down beside his best friend, without saying a word.

They both watched Morgana, who was stood on a rock that the waves were splashing around as the tide slowly came in.

Each time a larger wave crashed over the rock, the spray would hit her and to the surprise of both men, she laughed happily and leant into the sea breeze, her wild hair tossing around behind her.

Arthur smiled and rested his head on his knees, watching his sister laugh and enjoy herself for a little longer before turning his head towards Merlin. The warlock's eyes met his. Arthur smiled but remained silent. He didn't feel like talking, it would ruin the peaceful quiet; he just wanted to sit there with Merlin in comfortable silence.

For some reason he kept his eyes on the sorcerer, who stared back, equally as quiet and observant. But eventually a faint blush crept onto Merlin's cheeks and the darker-haired man looked down at his hands, which were folded in his lap, and then back to the sea, the blush still there.

Arthur continued to watch Merlin, but for the life of him, he didn't know why. He watched how Merlin's eyes followed a wave from breaking point to the shore, how he absent-mindedly drew circles in the sand, how the dark eyelashes would move whenever something else caught the warlock's gaze. He really was a beautiful man…

_Why am I not looking at the sea, or the sunset, or anything?!_ Arthur thought to himself, almost furiously as he couldn't understand his own curiosity, _Why at Merlin? _Yet at the same time, he knew that he didn't really _want_ to look at anything else.

* * *

><p>Eventually Gwaine and Percival made their way back, as did the others in dribs and drabs.<p>

"Man I'm tired, but I could do with a drink…" Gwaine smiled hopefully down at Merlin on the sand.

The warlock rolled his eyes and then looked at his watch. "Alright then, Gwaine. We'll go to a tavern."

The knights whooped and began reminiscing about the best meads and ales back in Camelot. Arthur got to his feet and brushed the sand off his trousers.

"Urgh! Thanks!" Merlin rubbed his eyes and spat out the face-full of sand Arthur had just unwittingly swept in his direction. The King laughed and held his hand down to him.

"Sorry."

"No problem." Merlin muttered and then noticed the outstretched arm. He gulped and hesitated momentarily before taking the offered hand.

Arthur tugged but misjudged his own strength and the smaller man was propelled forwards and nearly crashed into him. Arthur managed to steady him, "Sorry," he apologised again, his hand resting on Merlin's arm for a few moments longer than needed, before he realised and withdrew it. He cleared his throat and turned to Percival to make some sort of awkward joke. Merlin stood blinking for a few seconds, his hand tingling with the contact, until he kicked his mind into action and loped to the head of the group to direct them to the nearest pub, a pink colour creeping up his neck. Arthur glanced over to him from where he was walking with Percival at the back. An unconscious smile turned the corners of his mouth up as he saw the pink neck. Gwaine raised his eyebrows at Percival behind Arthur's back; neither said anything but continued walking.

* * *

><p>Soon they all piled into a local pub and found a corner for them all to sit and talk and joke. Merlin bought them all a drink and they settled down, telling Kerry tales of the infamous Camelot tavern, The Rising Sun.<p>

"Do you remember when we took Mordred for his first tavern visit?" Gwaine chuckled. Mordred's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and he looked down at his untouched pint of beer.

"It's not my fault; I'd never drank like that before…"

"What, you mean several large tankards of Evoric's best ale in about half an hour?" laughed Percival. Gwaine wiped a tear away, "By the 3rd you were laying underneath one of the tables singing about goblins!"

The druid was laughing quietly too at this point.

Elyan then chuckled and chimed in, "Didn't we manage to get him back on his feet?"

"Yes, but then he decided to try and ride backwards in the saddle again," Leon grinned.

Mordred shook his head, his eyes watering with laughter.

"That's right! You were yelling 'I'm melding the saddle, look I can do it now!' – you woke the cook up, she wasn't best pleased!" Percival thumped Mordred on the back in his amusement.

"Yes and then I fell off. I woke the next day with several bruises, a headache so bad it felt like a cave full of Wilddeoren had trampled over my head, and one of Arthur's sword practice sessions to go to! I just can't handle my ale!" The knights chinked their pints together and they all dissolved into further fits of laughter. Kerry shook her head in disbelief and kissed Mordred's cheek. "I'll get you a less alcoholic drink, you lightweight."

She rose from the table and weaved her way to the bar. After ordering the youngest of the group a drink, she stood waiting, still grinning from the story.

"Well if it isn't Kerry Mason. Fancy meeting you here!"

Kerry's smiled instantly dropped as she heard the familiar voice come from close behind her.

Merlin glanced over and his happy expression turned dark too. "Uh-oh, I sense trouble."

The others all looked up to see a very small Kerry turn shakily to a much taller, muscular young man.

"Who's that?" Mordred asked, his voice thick with some unknown emotion.

"That's Ryan, he was Kerry's boyfriend a year or so ago…nasty piece of work, I think I should go over." But that was easier said than done, as at that moment a group of hikers came to stand near their table, making escape a tricky process.

Kerry felt her stomach tighten and her hands start to sweat as she saw her fears were confirmed as Ryan McKenzie was stood leaning against the bar, a little too close.

The young Pendragon girl was usually a pretty tough and fiery-spirited woman, but there was something about Ryan that always made her lose her voice, and any feeling of strength or power along with it.

This man had caused several arguments between her and Merlin after she'd managed to escape his grip on her: Merlin had wanted to kill him, several times over, but Kerry insisted that this man wasn't worth a life-imprisonment sentence, this man was worth nothing.

"Have you missed me?" he purred, noting the way she flinched at his voice and seeing the worry flickering across her eyes. Kerry in turn noticed how much he reeked of alcohol, and she knew this was possibly the worst state to be talking to Ryan in.

"I…I have nothing to say to you…please leave me alone now."

He smiled a cold smile that was well-known by Kerry.

"But we both know you don't really mean that, eh Kerry?"

His hand brushed against her arm and she reflexively jerked away from him. Hastily she grabbed Mordred's drink about to get away as quickly as possible.

"Hey!…Hey Kerry! Don't you dare ignore me!"

"Oh shit, go go go!" Merlin muttered, managing to push through the group of hikers, closely followed by the others.

"Hey I'm talking to you, bitch!" Ryan growled and before Merlin was even anywhere near them, the larger man struck Kerry. Her head flew back and as she fell backwards, she saw stars dance across her vision. The familiar darkness rushed around her and she felt the same heaviness pulling at her that she'd thought she wouldn't feel again. Her head connected with the floor forcefully and she was instantly knocked out-cold.

At the same instant every glass and bottle in the pub smashed. Mordred had managed to shove his way to her the quickest. White-hot anger coursed through him. His magic, which wasn't as well trained as Merlin and Morgana's, had caused the bottles and glasses to smash. He took several strides forwards and punched Ryan square in the face. The bigger man, who had no idea Kerry had anyone with her, had not been expecting it and was momentarily stunned. He staggered back a little. Shaking his head, he felt his lip begin to swell. Merlin and the others emerged behind Mordred.

Ryan licked his lips and nodded at Merlin, the sadistic grin back in place.

"Emrys, good to see you again. Oh dear, have I intruded on something?" He looked back at Mordred, whose arms were now being restrained by Percival and Gwaine, but it didn't look like their hearts were really in it, as they were glaring pure hatred at him. "I see…is it your turn with her then? Frankly, I wouldn't waste my time on the little slut; she wasn't any good in bed anyway-"

Mordred nearly managed to pull himself free then, but Arthur beat him to it. The king, his face contorted with rage, advanced. However to everyone's surprise, Ryan fell forwards at that moment, as if he had been pushed, rather forcefully.

Arthur thought fast and caught the very surprised man by his collar. He moved his right arm far back, and then sent his fist flying into Ryan's face with such a force that the confused man sailed back again and hit the floor with a load groan of pain, several bar stools crashing to floor in his wake.

Arthur stood breathing heavily and turned around. Morgana was stood, her arm outstretched in Ryan's direction. She'd used her magic on Ryan – that was what had sent him soaring towards Arthur. He nodded his thanks at her, a little surprised that she'd been as angry as he and she smiled back.

Gwaine was carefully picking Kerry up, and Percival was still holding onto the infuriated Mordred, who clearly still wanted to dish out some more punches. They vacated the deadly silent pub and out into the night air. Merlin performed some spells on Kerry and then went back indoors to cast some memory altering spells on the punters, but left Ryan's memory intact. He wanted that arse to remember his lesson.

* * *

><p>Back at the campsite, Kerry was being fussed over by everyone. She'd not been unconscious for very long, waking up blearily whilst Merlin was in the pub wiping people's memories. Gwaine had gently set her back on her feet and Percival had let go of Mordred, who immediately rushed over to her. Kerry had leaned heavily against the very concerned druid boy.<p>

"Well this has been an exciting night!" she'd smiled wryly and Mordred enveloped her in his arms, hugging her tightly to him and kissing the top of her head.

Once they were at the campsite, Mordred had insisted she sleep in his tent with him, to keep an eye on her. So Kerry was tucked in there, surrounded by pillows and blankets. Every now and then, Morgana or Elyan would pop in with a cup of tea, or Percival and Gwaine would double check that she was really ok, both leaving with relieved smiles on their previously concerned faces.

Arthur was still seething at Ryan and got the whole backstory from an equally as furious Merlin.

Kerry had met Ryan at a friend's party one night, and over a while kept meeting up. Eventually she'd moved in with him, much against Merlin's advice. The warlock however had made sure to see her as often as he could, usually when Ryan was out. Things had been alright for a while. But it wasn't long before a blind man could have noticed Kerry change. She'd got more edgy, skittish, and better at lying about the new bruises that would decorate her skin.

Merlin had lived far too long to buy her excuses and demanded she move in with him instead, but she'd been too scared of Ryan.

Merlin, being Merlin, had confronted the man who liked to imbibe more than his fair share of alcohol. It had not gone well and Merlin had received a black eye. It had taken a lot of effort to restrain his magic.

This however had been the last straw for Kerry, and she finally realised she had to leave him, damning the consequences – no one touched Merlin. With the help of her step-brother Sam, she managed to face her horrible boyfriend and finish it. She'd consequently moved in with Merlin.

"He'd have been whipped, flogged, jailed if he was back in Camelot and under my rule!" Arthur spat angrily once Merlin had finished.

"He shouldn't be allowed near women!" Gwen nodded in agreement from where she was sat beside Elyan.

"Near _anyone_." Elyan corrected cracking his knuckles in his displeasure; he was, after all, her great-great-great-etc uncle.

Merlin nodded before standing and clambering into the caravan. He emerged a minute or so later, with some drinks he'd brought along with them.

"Seeing as our night got cut short." He handed a bottle to Arthur and smiled, before passing the others some. Unsurprisingly, Gwaine took one…and another…and then another. He was soon tipsy, heading on drunk, as was his custom; it wouldn't be right unless Gwaine got drunk on a night out. The tavern owner in Camelot, Evoric, had grown accustomed to this habit of the knight's and always ensured he kept a pillow or two in one of the back rooms to settle the man's head on once he had reached his limit and fallen asleep. Merlin had always wondered what it was that made the man enjoy drunken oblivion so much.

Percival smiled and automatically pulled one of Gwaine's arms round his shoulders, before heaving the knight to his feet. "Come on, Gwaine. It's high time you got into bed and dreamt about cheese and apple pie."

"Mmnot" – yawn – "not tired, Perce…"

Merlin shook his head. "I suppose we'd all better hit the sack." He extinguished the campfire with a wave of his hand, and Arthur didn't even wince at the casual display of magic, as he had been prone to not so long ago.

Goodnights were called and torches flashed around for a bit whilst everyone clambered into their sleeping bags, and eventually all the lights switched off one by one.

* * *

><p>Gwaine was snuggled up in his sleeping bag, beside Percival who was steadily watching him.<p>

"You're so big!" Gwaine giggled in a whisper, looking at the large shadow of his best friend. Percival gave a grin.

"I'm the brawn; you're the brain…well not right now you're not."

Gwaine chuckled stupidly. "We complete each other – the perfect couple."

"W-what?!" The other knight sputtered, but Gwaine ignored him, or just didn't hear him and cuddled up alarmingly close. "Er…Gwaine?..." Percival sighed, "You are so drunk."

"Damn straight I am! A bloody good tavern that…well not that Ron bloke…or Rhys…or Ryan…" Gwaine's voice was dropping as he battled sleep. Subtly Percival glanced down at the man curled into his chest, albeit in his own separate sleeping bag.

"G'night Perce." Gwaine managed to mumble, and to the bigger knight's great shock, he craned his head upwards and softly kissed Percival's neck before promptly falling asleep, his head against the other man's chest.

Percival lay awake for ages, in a state of bewilderment. Should he move Gwaine away? Or leave him? It wasn't _his_ fault that Gwaine was there, he was drunk, the man wouldn't remember any of this by morning…but _he_ would.

Heaving a sigh, he looked down again at the mop of wavy long hair that belonged to the man he had this strange, different feeling about. Percival was a very caring man; he loved and protected all his friends, but with Gwaine there was something else there, he didn't know what exactly. Did Gwaine have the same feelings too?

A sudden burst of some emotion swept across Percival and he placed his arm gently around the sleeping man, pulling him even nearer, wanting to be as close as he could be to the friend he had missed so much whilst he had this one chance. He firmly planted a kiss on his head and squeezed his eyes shut, pretending that this was okay, alright. And for a moment, it was. And Percival soon fell deeply asleep, the most comfortable he'd ever been in many, _many_ years.


	18. The Surfing

_**Here you go, not sure how often updates will be, but now I don't have exams I'll have more time to write so just keep an eye out hehe. Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews! I'm glad you all seem to like it and are enjoying the Merthury moments – there are more to come ;) xxx**_

The next morning, Merlin was the first to wake. The tent was nice and warm now from the morning sunlight, but it had gotten very cold in the night and the early hours of dawn. Merlin blinked and looked down at Arthur who had scooted closer in the night for warmth, but now had one arm slung across his face, shielding his eyes from the bright light that was filling the tent.

The warlock sat up and quietly pulled the sleeping bag off, stretching as much as he could in the tent. The movement and noise, quiet as it had been, had still woken Arthur.

"What time is it?" he asked sleepily, moving his arm to rub his eyes.

"Dunno, only about half seven…maybe eight?"

Arthur gave a yawn and looked at Merlin who was now tiredly rummaging through his bag. The warlock's hair was sticking out in all directions which caused a smile to flicker across Arthur's face. His eyes unwittingly trailed down to Merlin's pretty muscular back, where the shoulder blades were moving as the man hunted for his towel.

"You coming with?" Merlin then asked and turned around to look at the former king and caught his stare. Arthur blushed and hurriedly sat up to sort through his own things.

"Uh sure, you go ahead…I'll catch up."

Merlin shrugged and clambered out of the tent, grabbing a hoody as he went. As soon as Merlin was a good distance off, Arthur placed his face in his hands and fell backwards onto his bed with a groan.

"What the hell is wrong with you, man?" He murmured to himself through his fingers. Why did he keep staring at Merlin? His smooth defined cheekbones, his strong back with the shoulder blades moving slowly, seductively, the way he wet his lips whenever he was stressed, slowly rolling his tongue over his lower lip…

Arthur swallowed hard and tore his hands away from his face and looked down. He could feel a strange nudge of desire welling up in his groin. Arthur freaked out. What the hell was this?! No! He must have been dreaming in the night about women or something! That was it! Obviously. Several curses left the King's mouth as he grabbed his towel and wash things. A cold shower. That's what he needed. There was no way Merlin was the cause of this, but the thought of the man seemed to exacerbate the problem growing between the King's legs.

Any campers up at that time would have seen a tall, handsome, blonde man running rather awkwardly through the campsite to the shower block, a look of both horror and confusion plastered across over his face.

* * *

><p>An hour or so later, when everyone else was awake, showered and fed, Merlin thought he'd take them to another beach and spend the day there perhaps. He noticed Arthur was acting a little differently; surly and quiet, frowning a lot and glaring at Merlin whenever he caught the warlock's eyes watching him. Perhaps he'd not slept so well, or he'd decided he hated camping, but when Merlin went to ask if he was okay, all he got was an angry: "I'm perfectly alright, <em>Mer<em>lin! Why do you keep fussing over me? You-…you and your ridiculous ears!"

Merlin's eyebrows rose at the weak insult, but he didn't take it to heart. After years of being around Arthur almost 24/7, he recognised when the King was in one of those unapproachable bad moods.

During the drive to the beach, Arthur sat at the back as Merlin drove the van, glaring at the back of the warlock's head, as if this morning's incident had been his fault.

Once they reached the seaside, the girls found a spot to dump all their stuff and sunbathe, whilst Leon, Mordred and Elyan decided to go rock climbing and explore all the caves along the bottom of the cliff.

Arthur forgot to be moody and stared in wonder at the surfers and was joined by Percival and Gwaine, watching them in awe.

"Merlin, what are they doing? What's that they're standing on?"

Merlin, glad that Arthur was no longer in a strop with him, looked to where the King was pointing.

"Surfing. They're riding the waves on a surfboard."

"Surfing…" Arthur breathed, watching them as they swam out to sea, waited for a bit, then caught a wave and rode it all the way to the shore. Merlin noticed how the three men were all staring mesmerised and quietly slipped away. He returned a short while later, no one had noticed his disappearance, with two surfboards and several wetsuits from the surf hire shop.

"Gwaine, Perce!" he called out to the two men and they managed to tear their eyes away from the sea and look at Merlin. Realising what the man had got, they jogged over, grins spreading across their faces. "Hey, Arthur!" The King turned to the trio and saw the boards and suits. A delighted smile lit his face and the warlock found he had to take several deep breaths and count backwards from ten before he walked over and handed the King his wetsuit.

The medieval men found the wrestle into the tight wetsuits more difficult that they'd initially thought, grumbling more than once that chainmail and armour was easier to get into, but finally Gwaine and Percival were stood in their wetsuits. Merlin had also gotten into one of his own, a little reluctantly as he wasn't planning on surfing himself, but Percival had managed to persuade him. Arthur was still struggling with his zip.

"Right…well I'm no expert, but just er…well I'm sure you'll pick it up, just watch the other surfers." Merlin shrugged, passing the two men the board they were to share. "Oh and watch out for swimmers!" he added as the knights eagerly set off down the beach towards the sea.

The warlock turned to Arthur then. The King was still fighting with the fastenings at the back of the suit.

"Here." Merlin said, moving over towards him.

"No! No…er I got it!" Arthur took a step back, a slightly panicked look on his countenance. Merlin raised his eyebrows and folded his arms.

"Clearly."

Arthur struggled a little longer before he gave up. With a sigh, the King trudged back to Merlin and turned around, mumbling something that sounded like "Zip…please"

Shaking his head, the warlock reached down to the zip, his fingers accidentally brushing the skin of Arthur's lower back. The King suddenly yelped and moved away again. Merlin frowned at the man, who had turned red and was looking a little flustered.

"What?!"

"Er..you um…your hands are cold!" Arthur managed to stutter out. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Get back here, you girl's petticoat!" With a great deal of hesitancy and foot-dragging, the King stepped back towards Merlin. The warlock tugged the material either side of the zip. "Breathe in sire." He smirked. Arthur half turned his head to shoot a glare but took a deep breath nonetheless.

Merlin tugged on the zip which didn't budge. "Gods, Arthur you're fat!" He exhaled with the effort of trying to force the zip.

Arthur spoke through gritted teeth. "For the last time, _Mer_lin, I am _not_ fat! Just broad-backed. You probably got me a child's size or something."

"I got you the same size as Percival…"

The King paused and looked down at his stomach, surveying dubiously. Merlin saw the look and laughed. "I'm only joking, I got you a normal one, you're just…muscular."

Arthur flexed his muscles and smiled proudly.

"By the dragons, just get it zipped and go away! You're standing in my sun!" Morgana called up from her spot on the sand where she was sunbathing.

"Right! Last resort." Merlin stood back and raised his hand towards Arthur's back.

"No-no-no-n-" Arthur began as he saw what Merlin was about to do, but the warlock had already muttered some mystical words and Arthur felt his ribcage practically crush as the suit stretched and the zip flew up. He gasped out several times, clutching his stomach.

"This was…definitely the wrong…size!"

Merlin, his hands on his hips, smiled at his handiwork.

"It'll loosen a little in the sea."

"It'd bloody better!" Arthur glared, still clasping his sides.

With a chuckle Merlin picked up the surfboard and began the long walk down the beach, Arthur falling into step beside him.

* * *

><p>Shivering in the cold British waters, Merlin waded into his knees with Arthur, before fastening the board strap to the King's ankle with admittedly a bit of difficulty as Arthur began protesting and nearly lost his balance. Merlin straightened and gave an exasperated sigh.<p>

"Right well good luck, I'll be sat there." Merlin pointed to the shore.

"Oh come on Merlin, give it a go!"

"No, no – you go."

With a roll of his eyes, Arthur waded deeper in the water. After a few times of falling into the sea, the King began to pick it up.

It was with a loud whoop that he rode his first wave standing up. Merlin cheered from the dry safety of land and looked over to where Percival and Gwaine were still attempting to surf. Huge grins were plastered across their faces. Merlin laughed as a particularly large wave pushed the surfboard into Gwaine who fells backwards, only to be caught by his best friend. The larger man righted the other knight and smiled, but Merlin caught a glimpse of something else in Percival's expression. He frowned, perplexed at the two knights, but at that moment Arthur came over, dripping wet. He rubbed his hand through his hair until it was no longer clinging to his face, but sticking up in damp hilarity.

"Your turn now, Merlin."

The warlock looked up in surprise and blinked.

"W-what? No! No I can't surf."

"Neither could I, but I'm getting there now. Come on, Merlin!"

"No, I really can't! It's not that I haven't tried, because I have. I was in Hawaii for a while, a couple of your relatives decided to explore the Pacific Ocean. Couldn't do it then either, they called me the 'pale disaster'. I can't surf Arthur."

With a roll of his eyes, Arthur bent down and tugged Merlin protesting to his feet. "Come on, Merlin. You are _such_ a girl's petticoat!"

"Hey! No, I'm telling you Arthur-"

But the King grabbed him by the crook of his elbow and dragged him into the sea.

"I'm not getting on that!" Merlin stated, nodding at the board.

"Will I have to lift you, _Mer_lin?" Arthur took a threatening step towards him, to prove his intentions; Merlin swore and took a step back.

"Alright, _alright_!" He reluctantly fastened the strap to his wrist and then looked to the board. It sat there, floating, mocking him.

With a growl of distaste, the sorcerer scrambled on, clinging desperately to the board with his arms and legs. Arthur's head fell back in a loud burst of laughter.

"You ready?" he managed to ask, wiping a tear away.

"No." The dark-haired man snarled. The King gave a chuckle and stood well back as a particularly large wave built up behind them. It was quite an impressive wave, so much so that it overtopped Arthur and he was submerged by cold salty water. When his feet felt the sandy floor once more, and the wave had passed by, Arthur rubbed his eyes spitting out the salty taste in his mouth. Running his hands through his hair, he looked around for any sign of the warlock, but there was no sign of the clotpole.

"Merlin!" he called, a little anxiously, and then he spotted the board floating a little way off and a dark shape bobbing nearby, not moving. "MERLIN!" he screamed out, panic engulfing him.

With terror gripping his mind, he tried to run towards the floating man, but the water obviously slowed him down. Spluttering he fell into the water in an almost comical front crawl. After a few agonising seconds, which felt like hours, Arthur reached the board and grabbed Merlin. The lifeguard by now was approaching as the King pulled his best friend above the surface. A think trickle of blood seeped through his hair down the pale face, dripping over those prominent cheekbones.

"Merlin?" Arthur whispered.


	19. The Sunburn

_**Hey guys! Sorry not updated in a while, I hope you like this bit :) haha spot the coca-cola advert in this one ;) (you'll understand this soon) xxx**_

"Here." The lifeguard took Merlin from Arthur's arms and pulled him to the shore.

The warlock opened his eyes as the lifeguard set him down on the damp sand, all set to perform CPR. He hiccupped and threw up a sizeable volume of seawater, but otherwise he was medically okay, he'd not been underwater for that long. With a substantial amount of effort Merlin sat up and with an exhalation of air that could have been either a sigh of relief or a choked sob, Arthur fell to his knees behind him and pulled the man backwards, wrapping his arms round the warlock's chest, drawing him into a tight hug.

"You stupid clotpole! Don't you ever do that again, I thought I'd lost you."

Merlin took in several gulps of air as Percival and Gwaine, who had finally spotted them, pelted across the sand and skidded to a halt beside them.

Weakly, Merlin leaned his head back onto Arthur's ever so slightly trembling shoulder, still taking in deep lungfuls of air, and reached up to pat Arthur's arm comfortingly.

"Told you…I couldn't surf…" he laughed breathlessly.

It turned out that Merlin had almost immediately toppled off the board, but in the huge wave, the front of the board had been driven into Merlin's head and he'd blacked out.

The lifeguard after double-checking Merlin was alright, stood and went back to his post. Arthur finally let go of Merlin and rose to his feet before helping his friend up. The warlock shivered in the light breeze and wobbled slightly.

Arthur restrained himself from pulling the slighter man into a choking hug. He allowed himself to lightly place his arm round the trembling man's shoulder however, in a friendly manner of course.

"Come on, dollophead." The former King murmured kindly.

Kerry, who had run down the beach as fast as she could after seeing the commotion, finally reached the two men with a towel for Merlin. She passed it to Arthur and bent over, hands on knees whilst she regained her breath.

With the same gentleness he had shown when Merlin had been full of a cold, Arthur put the warm fluffy towel round his friend, whilst Gwaine retrieved their board.

"No more surfing." Merlin chuckled through his chattering teeth.

"No more surfing." The King agreed.

Percival and Gwaine patted Merlin's shoulder, made some joke about his clumsiness and then returned to the sea, now with a board each. Merlin and Arthur may have given up, but they were just getting the hang of it. However Percival now promised himself to keep an extra eye on the more reckless knight, in light of Merlin's accident.

Slowly Merlin, Arthur and Kerry made their way back up the beach. The warlock reached out and took Kerry's hand, smiling across at her. Arthur glanced down at their clasped hands and felt a pang of jealousy shoot through him momentarily. He frowned, perplexed. Why was he jealous? Who was he jealous of? He was jealous of _Kerry_? He was actually jealous of Kerry. The way Merlin automatically took her hand and laced his fingers through hers without a second thought. The ease and simplicity of it, and the fact that she was holding Merlin's hand was causing the King to simmer quietly with envy!

With an inward groan, Arthur shook his head, clearing his mind of all things Merlin-related, but it was kind of difficult with the man walking beside him, barely inches away. Gingerly Arthur moved his index finger slightly, enough so that it brushed Merlin's free hand.

Of course Merlin felt the contact, something akin to fire swept through him from the brief touch. He looked at Arthur, hoping the heat wasn't showing in his eyes, but he needn't have worried – the King was staring in the opposite direction, towards the cliffs and rocks where Mordred, Elyan and Leon could just about be seen, scrabbling and clambering over the huge boulders.

The touch had been accidental then, Merlin realised. Completely unintentional, of course. He needed to stop his heart racing. What exactly was it that was so fire-igniting about Arthur's skin? Tearing his eyes away from the man who was still looking away, Merlin shook his head ever so slightly and stared hard at the sandy ground.

* * *

><p>At the top of the beach, Merlin settled himself down onto the sand and tugged off his wetsuit. Arthur followed suit, and to his great annoyance, found that removing the infernal thing was just as difficult as putting it on. He fell over twice and looked like he was wrestling some great beast, but eventually both men were sat on the warm sand in their swimming trunks, drying off in the sun. Morgana had apparently used her magic to control the nearby elements, as the usual wind found on British beaches was non-existent; a calm warm bubble seemingly engulfed their little area.<p>

With a sigh of contentment Merlin lay down, using his towel as a pillow, his eyes closed. A glance at the other sunbathing women nearby told Arthur that everyone had their eyes closed, half asleep in the midday sun. He glanced at Merlin, lying by his left side (Arthur always lay on the left side). The darker-haired man was slight in his build, skinnier than Arthur (not that that meant Arthur was fat at all, 'cause he wasn't).

The King grinned to himself as he remembered meeting his friend for the first time. The insulting, impudent young man had been so thin and gangly, Arthur had very nearly actually 'taken him apart' accidentally when he'd first twisted the man's arm behind his back. But despite this, the interesting clotpole had still been willing to take the Prince of Camelot on, and this spark had intrigued Arthur. Of course Merlin had magic, and therefore could have easily beaten him, but had tried to swing a punch instead. Arthur had known at that point that this man would cross his path again soon; there was just something about him…

He gazed down at his friend at his side with a fondness. Such a pasty complexion – almost glowing white in the sun. Tentatively Arthur lay back against his own towel in the same manner as Merlin, and glanced sideways again. He was so close, he could imagine they were sharing a bed, and an image of Merlin cuddling up to him flashed into his mind.

Arthur blushed furiously at the thought and looked away. He cleared his throat and mind, and shut his eyes against the blinding sun. The light still hurt his eyes even through his closed lids, and he threw an arm across his eyes in an irritated manner. Merlin opened one eye at the broad man huffing beside him and waved a hand lazily. A pair of shades flew through the air from one of the bags and the warlock caught them deftly.

"Here…" Merlin handed them to the confused King. "You put them on your eyes, like in those cop shows I showed you."

With a grunt of thanks, Arthur put them on and immediately felt the difference. He sighed contentedly and placed his arms behind his head and relaxed, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

"Wish we'd had these back in Camelot – years of squinting into the sun!"

Merlin chuckled at the thought of Arthur and the knights, clad in all their armour and cloaks riding through the Kingdom of Camelot with shades.

"What?" Arthur asked as the warlock laughed.

"Nothing, nothing."

"Well shut-up then!" The King swatted side-ways at the other man, hitting him on the arm.

"Oi! You can't hit me, I've just had another near-death experience!" Merlin grumbled, rubbing the spot although it didn't hurt.

"Another? How many do you usually have, _Mer_lin?" Arthur scoffed, but the warlock remained silent, pondering those dark times in his life. Arthur realised his question and remembered Merlin mentioning something before about not being able to die, despite his attempts. His _attempts_.

"Merlin…" the blonde reached and loosely placed his hand over his friend's thin wrist which was resting against the sand.

The warlock shrugged and dismissed it with a wave of his free hand – he didn't want to disturb Arthur's hand on him.

"It's all in the past, you're-" he hesitated slightly, before finishing his sentence. "You're here now. There something to live for…or whatever…"

Arthur's heart tugged in his chest and he fought the absurd, overwhelming desire to roll into Merlin's side and pull him close. Instead he forced a laugh.

"Don't be such a girl, Merlin." But he gave the warlock's wrist a light squeeze nonetheless. With a shy smile, Merlin fell silent once more.

* * *

><p>The hazy afternoon wore on, the hot sun gently tanning (or burning in Merlin's case) the resting bathers. Arthur was at that point where the sun's heat was making him drowsy enough to be on the brink of sleep, but not quite there. He laid there, his body slowly shutting down and resting, and his mind about to follow, his hand still resting on Merlin's wrist.<p>

Slowly and carefully, the warlock's arm began to turn, and the King barely noticed when his hand was now in Merlin's, or if he did then he was too sleepy to care. When the warlock's fingers laced through his, he briefly registered it and gave it a gentle squeeze, his thumb softly stroking the back of Merlin's hand. Any residual feelings of jealousy from before melted away with the touch, before his heavy eyelids shut and he finally dozed off.

Merlin was a little more conscious than his King, but he lay just as still as exhilaration and hope raced through him like electricity at Arthur's hand holding his.

'_Stop it!_' he reprimanded himself futilely, '_Stop it. This will only lead to heartache._' But the giddy, happy feelings still danced around inside his chest, threatening to drown him.

And despite the internal quelling of the thoughts that were tinging his cheeks a light hue of pink (masked by the sunburn thankfully), Merlin allowed his hand to stay where it was. Finally his mind stilled and the sun's warmth cast its sleeping spell on the sorcerer, and he too slipped into a light doze.

* * *

><p>When Merlin finally woke an hour later, the hand was gone from his and a dull ache grew in his chest. Yawning and stretching he sat up.<p>

"Ow!" He hissed through his teeth as the sunburn introduced its painful presence. He'd forgotten the bloody sunblock! With a fleeting worry, he wondered if Arthur was suffering the same and looked around for him. Merlin's clear blue eyes found him, on his knees rummaging through one of the bags. Brighter blue eyes flickered up towards him.

"Oh good, you're awake. Where's the food?" he demanded, back to his usual prattish self.

The King's skin was not burned and Merlin felt a little relief that his friend wouldn't be complaining of pain, but also a little annoyed as Arthur was a sun-kissed, healthy tan colour.

"Dunno, somewhere in Kerry's bag. Could you chuck us the After-Sun lotion?"

"The what?"

Merlin sighed. "The blue bottle of cream, it's in the bag too. It's for putting on sunburned skin."

Arthur's fingers found said bottle and he lobbed it towards Merlin.

"Nice glow." He chuckled.

"Yeh thanks, I noticed!" Merlin winced in pain as he stretched out his arm. "I hate the sun and place a curse upon it." He muttered darkly to himself as he squirted the cream into his hand. A sigh of relief escaped the warlock's lips as he rubbed it onto his fried skin.

Arthur snorted. "You look ridiculous!"

Merlin shot him a glare. "Not all of us can tan as beautifully as Princess Arthur."

A smug smile appeared on the King's face at this as he looked at his arms to admire his tan.

"Honestly you two, stop flirting and get the damn food out!" Kerry called, only just waking up. Arthur's hands fumbled at this and he dropped the can of coke he had found, his 'healthy-colour' turning as pink as Merlin's sunburn.

"Aw that'll be fizzed up now!" Kerry complained, ignoring both men's faces. "I'm not having that one."

Elyan returned then, closely followed by Mordred and Leon.

"I am _so_ thirsty right now. You got anything to drink?" He smiled, naïve of the previous conversation.

"Yeh, here you go." Morgana smiled sweetly up at him, and used her magic to hover the can of coke in front of the knight.

"Thanks." He grinned down at her, thinking how beautiful she looked when she smiled without malice for once. However it was a short-lived thought as he opened the can and the contents exploded into his face.

Morgana and Gwen shrieked with laughter at the dripping wet and stunned Elyan. However Morgana's cackling cut off when she looked back at the knight, who was now removing his soaked through shirt.

With slow deliberate movements, Elyan twisted the soaked shirt, squeezing the remnants of the soft drink out onto the sand, his muscles tensing as he did so. Morgana wet her dry lips and passed Elyan another drink, not making eye contact. The knight smirked and sat down beside her.

Arthur watched them, seemingly confused as to whether he should laugh or glare. Why must everyone pair off with his family? Gwen, Kerry and now apparently even Morgana! At least Merlin wasn't pairing off with anyone; good old dependable, no-girl Merlin.

That clotpole would be such an insufferable romantic, buying whatever unlucky sod flowers every other minute and cuddling or kissing them the next. That would be so soppy and horrible…and inconvenient…and…

Arthur swallowed hard as he imagined Merlin's lips placing sweet little kisses on his cheek, his neck. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to quell the thought, but a part of him he'd thought he'd buried away long ago didn't want to.

"Arthur?" He looked over towards Merlin.

"Hmm?"

Had his eyes always been that blue? And what was the deal with his hair? Near black, adorably messy and ever so _Merlin_.

"Do you want to head to the shops and get something to eat?"

Arthur glanced behind them towards the cute little shops that lined the seafront. He shrugged as a form of reply, and Merlin took that to mean yes.

"Does anyone else want anything?" Merlin thoughtfully asked the group. Kerry asked for a bag of seaside 'fish and chips', (whatever they were) to introduce to Mordred, but other than that everyone else was satisfied with the sandwiches and fruit they'd brought along. Gwaine and Percival could still be made out, surfing standing up now – almost expertly.

Rising to their feet and dusting off the sand, both men pulled on a shirt and put on some flip flops (Arthur truly hated these) and made their way towards the shops.

* * *

><p>"What're these?" Arthur asked stopping for the hundredth time outside another little shop.<p>

"Bucket and spade."

"What for?"

Merlin sighed. "They're for kids to build sand castles with on the beach; you fill it up...and then tip it out to make a castle..."

Arthur's eyes lit up momentarily, but when Merlin started to move away, he stood his ground and folded his arms, raising his eyebrows meaningfully at him.

"Seriously, Arthur? Urgh fine!" Merlin came back and bought the cheap bright red bucket and spade. "Here, you dollophead." He shoved it towards Arthur, whose mouth broke into one of his rather charming and endearing smiles. Merlin caught the infectious grin and chuckled before moving away again. Arthur followed still grinning at his victory, swinging the plastic kiddy toys happily, unaware of any stares.

They soon found the 'chip and fish' shop as Arthur called it, confused a little. Merlin bought some for them to eat and some for Kerry and Mordred, and they went to sit outside on one of the benches that looked from the promenade across the beach and out to sea.

"These are those 'potato' things aren't they?" Arthur said, studying a chip.

"Mm-hmm" was Merlin's reply, as his mouth was already stuffed.

"Where did you say they came from again?"

Merlin swallowed his mouthful and smiled. He secretly loved it when Arthur asked about Albion's history.

"Explorers, in the 1500s. Under Queen Elizabeth I. Brought us back potatoes. We very nearly went with them off to explore actually, I was with Thomas during that time, one of your descendants. We were going to join Sir Francis Drake and his ships. But Thomas fell in love with Charlotte, she was nice. And then he no longer wanted to go off on a potentially pointless excursion for several years, 'cause wanted to stay here with Charlotte. Course when the ships all came back, the sailors were all rich and famous cause 'ooh they'd found apples of the earth' and 'ooh they'd found a rich new world!'" Merlin laughed at the memory. "Charlotte hit him over the head when they realised he could have made all that money. She was only joking, of course. She would rather have him than any riches in the world." He paused and smiled distantly. "Cute couple. They were good people."

Arthur tried to imagine his descendent, but to no avail. He asked Merlin for a description, and was surprised when the warlock put his food down and waved a hand in the air. A flickering projection of a kind looking man with brown hair and laughing eyes floated in front of Arthur, he had his arm round a woman with messy red hair tied back, most of it hidden under a cap, but tell-tale wild strands were escaping it. Merlin was also there beside them grinning at something Thomas had apparently said. He had his neckerchief on, and one hand was idly rubbing a corner of the material in a comforting way.

"That's them." Merlin stated, looking at his friends. With another wave of his hand, the scene disappeared. "I also kept an eye on his sisters. You had a big family." He laughed once. "Thomas and Charlotte never had children, though they wanted them. But Elizabeth, his sister, did. She's the line which Kerry comes from. Hard to keep an eye on everyone. Hard but not impossible."

"Thank-you Merlin, always protecting and caring for my family. You did all this for so long...why?"

Merlin glanced sideways at him and began eating once more. There was a long pause of silence before Merlin spoke again; Arthur had almost given up on an answer.

"I made a promise to myself…I did it for you, Arthur."

Arthur stared long and hard at the waves in the distance before speaking once more.

"Believe me when I say this Merlin, you are probably the kindest, bravest man in all Albion, in all the world and-…and I am honoured to have you as my friend." He continued to look at the sea for a few moments more, before turning to glance at Merlin to give him a look that told the warlock he truly meant it.

Merlin blushed a little and looked back down at his food. "Thanks…you're still a royal prat though."

Arthur rolled his eyes and nudged the other man, who retaliated. Arthur finished it with a bigger shove that nearly had Merlin dropping his chips and the two men chuckled before going back to eating.

"I'm glad you're here, Merlin." Arthur said quietly, repeating himself from many years ago, from another very different beach.

Merlin swallowed hard and nodded. "You too." He suppressed the urge to place a soft kiss on Arthur's cheek, and settled himself to just be content in his company.


	20. The Walk

_**Hope you like this bit too! A lot more Merthuryness in this chapter so! ;) hehe! And don't forget to check out my other fic 'Ghosts That We Knew', a prequel to this about Gwen and Leon in Camelot after Arthur's death. Also, keep a watchful eye out for the next chapter of this: it'll be the one you've all been waiting for…though careful what you wish for! ;) mwahaha xxx**_

The tent was dark. Pitch black in fact. Just like it had been out in the woods of Camelot, with the trees cutting off any light from the moon. With nothing to see, and very much awake, Arthur's mind replayed the events of the day; the surfing, the sunbathing, reliving every brief touch exchanged between the warlock and himself. Why did his mind always drift to the man?

He groaned in frustration and turned to his side, facing away from the sleeping Merlin. He didn't want to look at that peaceful face, the dark eyelashes resting lightly against those cheekbones, the well-defined jaw slack with slumber. No. Arthur didn't want to _look_. He wanted to reach out...to touch...

_Stop it!_ The King reprimanded himself. Think about horse riding, or swords. Envision the ride from Camelot to Mithian's kingdom. That was a fair distance. Yes, that would keep his mind occupied, and maybe allow him to sleep.

It must have worked for the next thing Arthur remembered was being woken by the sound of movement; it was probably very early morning for as it was still dark, Arthur could make out the strewn clothes and books in his and Merlin's tent in the deep early morning blue. Arthur's gaze flickered to his left to where Merlin slept, only the other man was already awake, the zip of the sleeping bag the noise that had roused Arthur from a dreamless sleep.

"Merlin?" Arthur mumbled sleepily towards his silhouette.

"Ssh, quiet." came his friend's reply.

Arthur fully woke at that, and he pulled his sleeping bag off, already reaching for his sword (which he'd insisted on bringing).

"What is it, did you hear something?" The King's voice dropped to a whisper and his senses sharpened, listening out for any noise.

"No." Came the short reply.

"Oh." Arthur felt a little disappointed, he'd been hoping for some adventure. The warlock ignored the blonde's downcast face and slowly began to pull off his hoody that he'd tugged on earlier in the night for warmth.

"What are you doing? It's freezing Merlin!" Arthur's concerned voice broke the silence once more.

"Shush!" the warlock tossed his hoody behind him. The man was now topless. Arthur once more fell silent; watching with a little interest as Merlin stretched his torso and arms upwards, still kneeling on his bed. The pale fingers ran through his dark mop of midnight black hair as he inhaled deeply, filling and expanding his chest. Arthur propped himself up on his elbow and swallowed hard.

"What are you _doing_?" he whispered again.

"Shut-up Arthur." Merlin's voice seemed to have changed; it almost sounded like the purr of a cat, silken and smooth.

Then the warlock began to lean forward, moving slowly onto all fours and he started to prowl towards his prey.

Which seemed to be Arthur.

Gulping, the King leaned backwards reflexively. "Merlin, what the hell?" he whispered almost panicked.

"Gods Arthur, for once in your two lives, shut-_up_!"

And to his surprise, Arthur's mouth shut with an audible snap.

Merlin's semi naked body was very close now, so close Arthur could almost hear the warlock's heartbeat. A hand reached out and placed itself on Arthur's airbed, very near the speechless blonde. The King was half lying down, half leaning back on his elbow by now with Merlin moving ever closer. The warlock's leg skimmed over Arthur's shins and his knee came to rest by Arthur's right leg and with one elegant movement, Merlin straddled Arthur.

The King let out an unmanly whimper. Intense feelings and desires were coursing through him but he didn't dare move. Merlin ran his hands down Arthur's chest, slowly, seductively. The King took a sharp intake of cool night air as Merlin leant forwards, his hands causing the only space to be between them. The warlock paused, allowing his breath to tickle across Arthur's face. The hands began to slowly crawl across the blonde's upper torso, caressing, feeling, stroking.

Then the warlock's lips inched closer until they brushed against Arthur's neck. A choked cry nearly escaped the poor King's throat as those lips kissed and nibbled at the sensitive skin there.

"Merlin!" he gasped as the lips trailed round to his collar bone.

The warlock broke away only to crush the King's mouth with a rather forceful kiss. It didn't take long for Arthur to respond, his lips parting with a moan. Arthur's hands began to trail up the planes of Merlin's back, feeling the smooth skin and angular shoulder blades. His hands came to rest in the warlock's hair, fisting in the inky silk, willing the man to be closer. A faint, indignant voice in the back of the King's head told him to stop; it began to question what he was doing, so with a growl, Arthur blocked it out with Merlin.

By now the warlock had abandoned his exploration of Arthur's muscular chest and had begun to pull down the broader man's joggers, nails grazing against the bared flesh in their haste. The King arched into Merlin's accidental touch and the kiss broke with a breathy laugh. Merlin smirked down at the man pinned beneath him. Gods Arthur wanted him so much.

"Arthur…" the warlock whispered around his lips. "…Arthur."

The King's breathing became hitched as Merlin leaned in to kiss him again. "Arthur!"

Arthur smirked at the sound of his name coming from Merlin in that gasping way.

"_Arthur_!"

The King tore his eyes open and bright sunlight pierced them. With a cry of surprise from the light, he covered his eyes with his hands,

"Finally, I thought you'd never wake up!" Merlin was already showered and dressed, sat nearby on his airbed, sorting out his bright orange rucksack for the day.

"What…what time is it?!" the King managed to gasp, disentangling himself from the sleeping bag and several t-shirts that he'd lazily not put away.

"About…half-seven or eight?"

Arthur squinted at the light. _What the hell, Arthur?! _He thought furiously, swallowing hard as he tried to work out whether it had all just been a dream or…

"Good dream?" Merlin's voice then broke into his thoughts. Arthur nearly choked.

"Ah- wha- what?"

Merlin cleared his throat politely before gesturing a thumb in the King's lower body area.

Swearing atrociously, Arthur sat up, pulling his knees up too as he grabbed a pile of clothes and squeezed them between his chest and knees. "I'm er…well that's embarrassing."

"Not as embarrassing as the sounds you were making to go with it last night." Merlin muttered audibly. Arthur's cheeks flushed and he felt the heat creep up his neck. Another few profanities escaped the King before he growled and rested his head in his palms.

"We should find you a girlfriend, mate." Merlin joked half-heartedly, looking deliberately in his bag, away from Arthur and his arousal.

"No!" He spoke a little too forcefully, so repeated it in a gentler manner. "No, I don't need someone. I just want to be with you…with you guys I mean…"

"How sweet." Merlin smiled teasingly. "How about you hop along to the showers now? I'm sure a cold one will…do you good." The warlock gave a chuckle and threw a towel at the King's frowning, pink face. Arthur scrabbled hastily out from the tent and Merlin could hear the sounds of the clotpole tripping over several guy-ropes in his haste, earning curses from Percival and Gwaine's tent as the blonde woke them. Merlin took several deep breaths, closed his eyes and counted backwards from ten before continuing to sort his things out.

* * *

><p>Arthur awkwardly avoided Merlin at breakfast. This was beginning to happen one too many times, the King thought to himself. He'd already warned the man not to mention this incident ever again, on pain of being impaled with Excalibur. Immortal or not, that would bloody hurt. Merlin had nodded, trying to hide his smirk.<p>

Over true camping-style breakfast bacon sandwiches, Kerry decided that they should go for a walk along the coast, seeing as the weather was so nice. And so with rucksacks packed full of food (Gwaine's bag suspiciously containing the most apples) they set off from the campsite, calling harmless insults at each other and Percival picking up long strands of grass to mischievously tickle Kerry's neck with.

The journey up the hills and onto the cliff-top paths left them all breathless but laughing nonetheless, Mordred carried Kerry on his back some of the way for no reason at all other than he wanted to. Kerry was completely happy with that, taking the opportunity to bury her face in those soft curls or whisper cute nothings and the occasional lewd comment in his ear, which made the druid-boy blush, laugh and turn to kiss her.

Merlin noticed that more than once, Gwaine seemed to 'trip up' only to stop his fall by grabbing onto Percival's arm, or allowing the man to catch and steady him. They were adorable really.

As for the others, Leon had discovered music recently and Merlin had given him an old ipod of his. The knight and the Queen were walking along hand-in-hand, an ear-bud each. Gwen occasionally sang a line or two of some of the songs she knew (which weren't that many), and she had a phenomenal voice; Merlin should really help her find a way to develop that further.

Elyan and Morgana walked at the back of the group, not quite coupled together like the others seemed to be, but happy in each other's company. There was plenty of time for any romance or just friendship to blossom. But Merlin saw the way Elyan looked at her, the past forgiven and forgotten (which must have been a difficult thing to do, she had killed him after all). And Morgana didn't seem to look on him as warily as she did with the other knights.

Merlin had also noticed Morgana squinting more and more. Possibly the effects of the bright sunlight, but still – Merlin should just make sure, and get her an appointment with an optometrist. He briefly wondered what she would look like with glasses, before smiling and shrugging. Probably as beautiful as ever: Morgana could pull off anything.

Arthur walked beside Merlin as per, deliberately avoiding eye-contact, but still at least talking. Alright, he was complaining, more than 'talking'. He was starting to get sunstroke and was developing a headache, and his feet ached in these modern shoes, and he was hungry and how long until they could take a break, and would Gwaine ever shut-up?

After a while of this, Merlin halted with a sigh and stooped down to the ground. Kerry and Mordred, who were walking behind them also stopped. Kerry called ahead to the others to wait. Morgana moved forwards, curious to see why they'd ground to a halt.

Merlin held his hands over the ground and concentrated. He spoke a word or two that Arthur didn't understand – magic then – and that rusty golden light flooded his eyes. Underneath his hands the grass and weeds seemed to part, allowing a daisy-like flower to grow and unfold. Kerry watched with amazement. She absolutely loved it when Merlin performed magic. Mordred and Morgana had sort of arrived with magic – they were a package deal, she didn't have to get used to the idea of their powers, but Merlin had been her normal, average friend for many years, hiding this. Whenever she saw what he was capable of with his magic, it always sent a rush of excitement through her.

"That's so beautiful, Merlin. _Magic_ is so beautiful!" She smiled. Merlin grinned adorably up at her, plucking the freshly grown flowers. He rose to feet as Arthur scoffed.

"Beautiful! Right. _Practical_ I can understand. But not beautiful."

Merlin stood looking down at the flowers in his hand, a hurt expression on his face.

"Arthur-" Kerry frowned, but Merlin's countenance hardened as he turned to the King.

"Here. Feverfew plant. A _practical_, medicinal flower. It should help with that headache." He thrust the flowers at the King, the petals now slightly crushed from Merlin's tight grip, and he turned and stalked on ahead, overtaking a bewildered Gwen and Leon, who had missed the goings-on, and pushing past Percival and Gwaine.

Arthur looked around at the others, expecting someone to say that Merlin was being "silly" and "over-reacting", but was met with cool stares, especially from Mordred and Morgana.

"Uther would be proud of you." Morgana said harshly before she too shoved past Arthur and continued on ahead.

"Wha- oh come on!" The blonde protested as the others began to walk past, leaving him standing there with the flowers in his hand. "It's not like I even asked for these- hey, wait up."

Arthur looked back down at the plants. What was he supposed to do with them anyway? Just eat them? Did he eat the middle bit, or just the petals? He shrugged and popped the whole heads of the flowers into his mouth. They tasted bitter, and his face screwed up in distaste, but he swallowed them nonetheless. He wrestled with those infernal zips on his rucksack, got a bottle of water, took a swig and looked around him. The King stood on a small rocky footpath, which had a wood and wire fence between him and a long fall to his death on the seaward side, and long fields full with tall golden grass on the other.

Dark blue sea stretched out into the horizon, with white waves tossed by the sea-breeze. Arthur looked across at the cliff on the opposite side of the little cove they were currently walking around. Birds flew to their nests to their open mouthed chicks, and little flowers and grass clinging to the rocks fluttered in the wind. He sighed once. His headache was starting to disappear gradually, and now he was feeling bad about what he'd said.

"Stupid Merlin and his sensitivity. Not my fault he's such a girl and takes everything to heart." He muttered to himself as he began to set off after the others, who had already reached the other side of the small bay. But the words were empty and without any real heat, because Arthur knew that he'd been a little harsh. He knew how much Merlin loved magic, and was always trying to show him that it was nothing like what his father had taught him to believe.

The warlock had had to put up with a lot of grief about his magic in his long life. Arthur remembered reading in one of Merlin's many history books, that the 'middle ages' or whatever they were called, hated magic as much as Uther did, and had burned 'witches'. Had Merlin been able to escape that second purge? He'd not actually talked to Arthur about that time in his life interestingly; he'd just sort of skipped over it, dismissing it as "some era with angry peasants and a hell of a lot of plague."

Arthur tripped and nearly fell over. His shoe laces had come undone now. Great. He still found these things hard. Stooping down, and wiping his sweaty brow with the back of his hand, Arthur studied the laces, trying to remember which part he looped where.

After much concentration, he had managed to tie the laces in some form of secure knot (he didn't want to begin thinking about having to undo them later) and stood back up. He frowned as he looked ahead at the path. The others were gone now. A glance across at the path on the opposite side of the cliff told him they had already passed that too. With a growl of annoyance Arthur jostled his rucksack into a more comfortable position and started off, stomping slightly in his irritation.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for the clotpole to get lost. A wrong turn here, a bad guess there and Arthur was completely baffled as to where he was. There was no sign of the others, he'd realised he was in his current predicament when he noticed he'd been walking for about an hour or so and still not caught up with them.<p>

It was late afternoon now, and whilst the headache had gone, he was hot and sweaty and exhausted. If only he had a horse, his kingdom for a horse! He was Arthur Pendragon – how was he lost? He could track a rabbit in a forest at night in the rain. This was pathetic! He'd passed several other hikers and tried to ask directions, but he couldn't remember the name of the campsite. Well this was it then. The once and future King, destined to wander Albion's coast for the rest of his life. He kicked angrily out at a rock and threw his bag down on the bank to the side of the path. Sitting down in a cross and rather petulant manner he thought back to what he'd said to Merlin.

He'd actually spent most of his time being lost thinking about it; it had been driving him mad. He'd gone too far this time.

After everything Merlin had done and sacrificed for him, all these years waiting for his return, protecting his family, all on his own. And Arthur had just crushed something most dear to him, something that had threatened his life dangerously for many years, something he couldn't help, something he loved. Plus he was meant to be Merlin's best friend, which made it all the worse that he'd said it in the first place.

Rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands, he wished he had one of those phone things that Kerry, Merlin and Percival, the only one of the 'resurrectees' they trusted enough to be able to use it correctly, had.

Arthur lowered his hands into his lap and stared out to sea again. The sun was getting quite low in the sky now and his stomach was growling, but he'd eaten the last of his food a while ago. He looked up to the orangey sky and watched some birds flutter around in a circle.

"Merlin, if by your magic in some weird way you can hear me, I just want you to know…" he sighed and trailed off.

"What?"

Arthur nearly jumped out of his skin, but managed to gather his wits enough to scramble to his feet.

"_Mer_lin!" he took three long strides to the warlock and pulled him into a choking hug. Merlin stood there rather woodenly, until he eventually returned the embrace.

"Merlin, I'm so sorry." Arthur said, rather muffled by Merlin's hoody his face was currently buried in. "I'm sorry, I was mean, horrible, rude." A thousand and one worries attacked the King. What if Merlin didn't want anything more to do with him? What if Merlin told him to find somewhere of his own? He couldn't survive this world without him. Not just because he didn't know that much about this century; he couldn't live without seeing that dorky smile or hearing those sarcastic comments. He couldn't be without the way Merlin kicked him awake most mornings, or the way he came out with such proverbial sayings, or the way he cared too much about trivial things like certain books or little trinkets. To not see those ridiculous ears or the way his eyes lit up with magic, to not hear his laugh, or the way he cleared his throat in awkward situations, well Arthur may as well have not come back at all. He began to tremble slightly with the effort of trying not to cry like a little girl. What would Merlin think of him then?

"It's okay, Arthur." Merlin said quietly, his hand resting very lightly on the King's back.

"No, it's not okay! I was a total dollophead, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, Merlin. Your magic is amazing."

Merlin's grip tightened and he buried his own face in Arthur's shoulder. They stood there, holding tightly to each other, desperately trying to control the tears.

Both of them stayed like that for a remarkably long time, given Arthur's proneness to break away from such displays of emotion.

"We should be getting back." Merlin mumbled eventually.

"So we're okay then? You're not gonna…I don't know, tell me to leave?"

Merlin drew his head back and placed his hands on the back of Arthur's neck by the hairline, forcing the King to look him in the eye. No need to force, Arthur was already part-way lost in them.

"Listen to me you clotpole. I have waited a millennia and a half for you! Like hell am I going to tell you to get lost now! We're okay…okay?"

"Okay."

Merlin looked deep into Arthur's eyes for a few moments more before briefly touching his forehead to his. The King closed his eyes, drinking the moment in, but it was over all too soon as Merlin pulled away completely then.

"We really should be getting back now. The others are at the campsite; they'll be getting worried…"

Arthur nodded, swallowing hard and turning to pick up his rucksack.

"You mean you walked all the way to the campsite before anyone noticed I was missing?"

Merlin chuckled. "No, but we were close enough to it when we decided we should probably look for you. I sent them on ahead. I hope they didn't get lost either."

Arthur gave a laugh at that. Merlin looked at him for a few moments before he smiled and nodded towards the path.

"Come on then, dollophead."

"I'm not a dollophead."

"You admitted it yourself!" Merlin shook his head, grinning.

"Yes well…I'm the King, Merlin. Now come on, before they send another search party out after us."

They both set off along the path, making teasing comments every now and then or nudging each other. Arthur felt relieved and quietly shook his head to himself; no, he really couldn't live without Merlin.


	21. The Butterfly

_**So here is the 'big chapter' you have been waiting for, though I do warn again: be careful what you wish for! ;) Also I saw a bit of fanart that I cannot for the life of me find anywhere again, and it inspired a scene in this chapter, so credit to that person whoever you are, if you think it seems familiar it's because you have a beautiful mind and amazing skills ;) Also I was listening mainly to 'Come Back To Me' by Les Friction whilst writing this and I'm sorry xxx**_

The others had all managed to get back to the campsite without losing anyone else and Elyan had set about cooking tea. Good. Arthur was starving! He apologised to them about being rude earlier and they all nodded. Kerry tugged him down onto a chair beside her and he smiled at her, grateful she didn't hold grudges.

"Did you have fun on your little adventure?" She said teasingly.

He rolled his eyes. "I forgot just how huge a place Albion is."

Kerry chuckled at that and patted his hand. "And you made up with Merlin?"

The King nodded. "Yeh we're okay now."

"He cares a lot about you, you know."

Arthur looked towards their tent, from which Merlin was just emerging. "I know. I think I'm beginning to realise just how much." A soft smile played at the corners of his mouth as Merlin caught his stare and pulled a face at him. Kerry could see the look in her ancestor's eye, and just wished he could get over whatever was stopping him from admitting his feelings. She sighed. One baby step at a time, she supposed.

After a delicious tea (Elyan was a pretty decent cook), they all sat around the campfire, with marshmallows on sticks. Gwaine particularly enjoyed this activity, because Percival was cleaning his boots from the walk, and thus had his hands full, and this meant that Gwaine had to feed the bigger man his toasted marshmallows.

The process was a tad difficult, as the heated marshmallows were prone to ooze down the stick and drip. Some dripped onto Percival's chin as Gwaine held the stick up to his mouth. Gwaine put it down and found a napkin.

"Here, honestly you." He smiled as Percival took the napkin and scrubbed at his chin.

"Hey it's not my fault! You're the one who let it drip."

Gwaine gave him a playful shove, to which Percival retaliated, and a flicking, pushing and nudging contest began.

"Get a room you guys!" Kerry called from across the fire, where she was still sat in her chair next to Arthur, and Mordred was now sat on the grass beside her, leaning against her legs, fast asleep, exhausted from the walk. She soothingly ran her fingers through his soft hair as she looked over at the two knights. Another two who needed to admit their feelings.

"It's okay, we've got a tent!" came Gwaine's cheeky reply and Kerry's eyes widened. Was he admitting something? But the shocked look in Percival's eyes told her that whatever Gwaine was implying, it was news to him too. Gwaine glanced at his friend and their eyes held for a long while before both looked quickly back to the fire. So he was testing the waters then, Kerry deduced. Well good for him. If anyone was going to make the first move, it was going to have to be Gwaine; Percival was far too shy and innocent.

Arthur looked at them, rubbing his chin, trying to work it out. Gods, he was slow. He glanced at Gwen who was rising to get herself something to drink. She dropped a kiss on Leon's curly mop of hair and he smiled, turning his head and reaching out to grasp her hand to kiss. Arthur then looked back at Percival and Gwaine, then back at Gwen and Leon, before turning back to Percival and Gwaine one last time. It seemed to suddenly click and his mouth opened ever so slightly in surprise. But he must have remembered the incident earlier in the day when he'd opened his big mouth and caused upset, so he promptly shut it again and looked at Kerry, as if for confirmation of what he was thinking.

She'd been watching Arthur as he'd come to this realisation, and she nodded slowly at him. He looked slightly lost for a moment before shaking his head to himself and putting a smile on. Kerry rolled her eyes. He was from a different time. This would take a little getting used to. Arthur glanced to his other side at Merlin, blushed and hastily looked away, back at the fire.

"Arthur..." Merlin spoke quietly.

The King looked flustered. "Ah- what? Huh? Yes?"

"Your marshmallow's on fire."

Arthur yelped and pulled it out, blowing on the blackened lump at the end of the stick. Merlin laughed and gave Arthur his stick with the melted-just-right marshmallow on the end. The King mumbled his thanks and stuffed the sweet into his mouth.

* * *

><p>By eleven o'clock, everyone was slowly drifting to bed, tired out from the day's long walk. Arthur was asleep even before his head hit the pillow, and Merlin too was softly snoring shortly after.<p>

Gwaine was clearing the bottles and plates and cutlery into the washing up bowl for the morning, whilst Percival had already headed into their tent. Gwaine paused and sighed. Percival just wasn't getting it was he. Hell, he'd dropped enough hints in the last week or so. Maybe he didn't feel that way about Gwaine. A twinge tugged away in his chest at the thought. But then Percival didn't act like that around anyone else but him, mind you they _were_ best friends. Ugh, he shouldn't dwell on it. He should just go to bed and find some respite from his overworking mind.

Gwaine clambered into the outer section of his tent and kicked his shoes off. He glanced at the inner sleeping compartment and rubbed his hand down his face. He opened the zip and climbed in, closing it behind him. Percival was sat on his bed, pulling off his shirt, revealing those ginormous biceps of his. Gwaine smirked. They were probably about the size of his thigh! Percival looked up then and caught Gwaine's gaze. A little pink tinged his cheeks as he felt Gwaine's eye roaming over his upper body.

The smaller man seemed to snap out of it then, and he shuffled to his side of the tent and began undressing. Now it was Percival who couldn't tear his eyes away. Gwaine turned to his friend and looked as Percival swallowed hard.

A tentative hand reached out and brushed the cool metal of one of Gwaine's pendants which hung on the necklace he always wore. Mementos of his parents; his father's ring and a token from his mother's land - he never took it off.

"Perce-"

But he was cut off as Percival's lips suddenly crushed his. Hands mapped their way up his body and tangled in the wavy dark hair, as a billion and one emotions exploded in Gwaine's mind. He reached his own hands up to grasp the strong arms now winding round him and sighed into Percival's mouth.

They broke apart for air a few minutes later, both gasping and smiling. Gwaine pressed his forehead to Percival's and closed his eyes grinning idiotically.

"Never knew you cared!" he laughed breathlessly. Percival gave a chuckle and captured Gwaine's mouth in a short but exhilarating kiss.

"Don't be so stupid!" he murmured around Gwaine's lips. "I've always cared." He fell back on his bed, pulling Gwaine down with him, hands now exploring the dips and ridges of muscle of the man's back.

"As have I, big man. As have I." And Gwaine bent his head again to fuse their lips together once more.

* * *

><p>The next morning Kerry was trudging round the tents, sleepy eyed, hair messy and stuffing some cereal into her mouth from her bowl. Gwaine, Percival and Mordred were also already up and about, getting breakfast.<p>

Mordred was slouched in one of the camp chairs, feet propped up on the table munching on an apple sleepily, a cup of coffee balanced on his stomach, probably held there by magic. Percival was leaning down looking for a bowl when Gwaine walked over to him, placing a gentle hand on the man's back. Percival turned and straightened, two bowls and two spoons now found, and firmly planted a kiss on Gwaine's smiling mouth before moving away to fill the bowls with some cereal. Kerry dropped her bowl onto the floor; milk and cornflakes spilling everywhere, and Mordred stopped mid-crunch as they stared at the two.

"Finally!" Kerry eventually screeched, which was followed by several sleepy groans from the other tents of "what was that?", "shut the hell up!" and "was that a banshee?"

"It bloody took you two long enough! Oh my god I'm so happy for you guys! This is so cute, you suit each other perfectly! You were made for each other!" she babbled, wide awake now and bouncing around. Others now popped their heads out of the tents and the caravan. Gwen leaned out of the door, hair wild and curly, and smiled.

"Well this has been a long time coming!" she laughed, rubbing her eyes.

Mordred laughed and threw his apple core at the two men who were now blushing as they ate their breakfast.

"You sly dogs, I would _never_ have guessed!" he said, voice dripping with sarcasm as he grinned.

"Well it had to happen eventually, this one is completely obsessed with me!" Gwaine winked towards Percival who rolled his eyes.

"You wish, little man."

Arthur emerged from his tent then, yawning. He tripped over the same guy rope he'd been falling over for the entire holiday thus far, gave the accompanying customary morning yelp of shock (although by now he should really see it coming) and sat (fell) into a camping chair.

"What was all that yelling about?" he rubbed his face drowsily with his hand, which was mostly covered by his long baggy top he'd adopted as part of his pyjama set.

"Percival and Gwaine-" Kerry began excitedly, but stopped herself. "No, you guys tell him."

Gwaine gulped, quietening suddenly; worried what his King might think of this whole thing.

"I…well, Percival and I er…we…"

Percival looked up from his breakfast bowl and fixed his eyes on Arthur's. "I'm with him. He's with me." He gave a short nod as if to finalise it and waited for Arthur to respond.

The blonde's mouth opened and shut several times, before he raised his arms in a shrugging, submissive gesture. "I don't have any problem with that, if that's what you're worrying about. It's er…it's been a long time coming. Congratulations." He matched Percival's stare and both men broke into a grin.

"That's what I said!" Gwen piped up, a relieved smile on her face.

Merlin then appeared, hopping around as he pulled on his boots over his baggy joggers, before looking at Gwaine and Percival. He grinned at them, he knew – he could just tell. He didn't say anything, but nodded at them and then went about making him and Arthur a cup of coffee.

"I think we ought to head back home tomorrow." Merlin said from the stove. Several groans of protest sounded from the table. "Well we've been here for a week already, and I only booked us for 6 nights or so. We'd have to pay for longer tomorrow if we stayed."

Kerry sighed and agreed and eventually the others mumbled their okay's.

Merlin looked away from the others, who were now talking about how they had to make the most of their last day, a soft smile appearing on his full lips. He didn't know that Arthur was watching him with a fond smile of his own.

* * *

><p>They did anything they could think of that day. Visited the beach one more time, went traipsing round seaside towns, bought fish and chips, had an evening drink at a pub (not the same one they'd met Ryan in) before finishing up at the campsite, gathered round the fire that Morgana had just lit, in their own camping chair or sat on the grass.<p>

"What does everyone want to do this evening?" Arthur said cheerfully. Shrugs and contented smiles came as the reply as several of them said "We've done everything," or "This." The King's mouth turned down at the corners slightly.

"So…no one wants to go to the beach?"

"Arthur we've already been there today!"

He looked down at his bottle of ale with a downcast expression. "Just asking…" he mumbled. Merlin looked at him through the flickering flames. He swallowed hard and wet his dry lips.

"I'll go with you if you want…?"

The King glanced up and caught the blue gaze. He very much did want, but he forced himself to ask around a little more, half-heartedly asking Leon, so he didn't seem overly eager. But thankfully everyone really was just happy to sit by the campfire chatting.

"Alright then, Merlin. Looks like it's just you and me." Arthur smiled rising to his feet, ignoring the little smile Kerry had now started to send him whenever he was in Merlin's company. The warlock set his bottle down and stood, smiling at Arthur. They set off out from the campsite and started down the little country road to the sea, Merlin couldn't be bothered to drive and it really wasn't that far.

They walked in companionable silence most of the way, until their usual banter and teasing kicked in. The sun was just setting when they reached the sandy beach, and Arthur again stood staring for a while, watching the glowing orange sun sink beneath the distant horizon. Merlin shivered in the cool breeze and sat on the sand.

The warlock cupped his hands. "_Upastige draca__forbearnan._" His eyes flashed that specific gold of his that Arthur secretly liked to watch out for, and a dragon made from embers that came from nowhere floated up from Merlin's cupped hands. It flew around once or twice, before diving back into Merlin's hands. A small fire emerged and flickered, hovering in the warlock's hands. He gently spread and moved his hands apart, allowing the fire to hover in mid-air. Arthur watched all this with genuine interest.

"That _is_ quite…beautiful," he mused. Uther had always taught him all magic was dangerous and evil, yet each time Arthur had watched Merlin use his magic before he'd died, it had been for defence, and he'd only used it if he'd had to. And in this century, the darker-haired man used it for simple, practical tasks like cooking, or fetching certain objects or switching on the lights. He regretted what he'd said yesterday even more now; he'd no idea that it could be beautiful too. Uther had been so very wrong.

Slowly he sat opposite Merlin, the fire hovering to the side of them. He crossed his legs, like the warlock and looked at him, studying. Merlin rubbed his hands before letting them rest on his knees, and smiled at the fire he'd created, unaware of Arthur's gaze.

Gently Arthur reached out and placed a hand atop Merlin's. The warlock's blue eyes flickered down at their hands and then up to meet Arthur's gaze.

"Merlin…I-…I'm so sorry for everything my father said and did against magic…and for the things I said and did too…" he trailed off, a guilt-ridden look on his face. Merlin shook his head and moved a hand to place it over the King's in a reassuring manner.

"It's not your fault, you were just doing what you thought was right."

"All the same, it must have been difficult to serve such a family, and to have to endure everything we said."

Merlin squeezed Arthur's hand. "No, Arthur. I was happy to be your servant, and still am. Till the day I die." He joked, referring to his immortality. A smile twitched at the corners of the King's mouth. He looked down at their hands and then bashfully back up at Merlin.

"What's…um what's your…"

"Yes?"

Arthur shook his head. "Nah never mind, silly question."

"No, go on…" Merlin smiled encouragingly.

The King swallowed hard before peeking up at Merlin through his lashes. "What's your favourite spell?"

It was barely a whisper, but Merlin heard it. He nearly stopped breathing for a few moments. For years he'd wanted Arthur to be able to ask him this question, to grow enough to accept magic, and then to ask small, harmless questions about it…for him to be comfortable with the idea of his best friend wielding a power that could topple Albion.

Gently the warlock freed his hands, but lifted the King's up so that they were cupped in mid-air. Merlin placed his hands underneath Arthurs's, and looked up into his eyes briefly. The look he read was one of anticipation and bewilderment. With a little smile he closed his hands around Arthur's, but left a small space within.

"_Gewyrc an lif_" he murmured. Arthur watched the warlock's blue eyes flood with that golden light, before looking back down at his hands. He felt something tickling his palms from within the little enclosed space. Merlin pulled his hands open once more.

A perfect little butterfly sat there on Arthur's palms, opening and shutting its glowing blue wings. After a few moments, it fluttered upwards and began to fly off into the night sky, a luminous blue dot against the darkness.

Merlin's eyes followed it as it flew away, an incredulous smile on his beautiful face, as if even after all these years of using magic, it never failed to amaze him, as if this one little butterfly could transform even the darkest hour into a moment of clarity and beauty. Arthur wondered how many times this butterfly had been cast in all the years Merlin had been waiting, how many times it had given the ancient young man hope in those dark times, how many times it had caused that mesmerising smile to appear on that world-weary face.

He noticed now that he wasn't even watching the butterfly as his friend was doing, but was staring at Merlin once more. The high, well-defined cheekbones, the dark lashes above his striking blue eyes, his full lips and ridiculous ears, that inky-blue dark hair of his that could either stick up in all adorable directions, or fall about in such a manner that made Arthur shiver with something akin to desire.

Something was aching deep within Arthur's chest. The ache he always seemed to get whenever he stared at the warlock, but this time it felt all-consuming, over-powering…

The King's breathing sped up, and he felt his heart rate quicken. He leaned slowly forwards and Merlin turned to him, his lips parted ever so slightly. The doubts weren't even seeping in yet, there was no way he would be able to resist this anyway, not with Merlin's lips so close...

With a soft urgency he didn't know existed, Arthur's lips brushed against Merlin's, his hands slowly creeping up to gently cup his face. Gods, he'd wanted this for such a long time. Nights spent wondering what Merlin's lips tasted like, days spent daydreaming of feeling the warlock's flushed skin and soft hair under his more calloused hands.

His thumbs traced the high cheekbones and he moaned a little into Merlin's mouth. Too long had he resisted this.

As for Merlin, he'd been surprised when Arthur had sent him that longing look, and even more surprised when the man had leant forward and pressed his lips to his. Sparks and bolts of electricity were sent through Merlin's entire body, from Arthur's lips and hands.

One-thousand-and-a-half years he'd been waiting for this. Waiting for Arthur to love him, want him like Merlin did. He'd lived through all those years thinking he would never feel those lips - whilst Arthur had been wed to Gwen, Merlin had just had to grin and bear it. And centuries of longing only strengthened the feelings deep within the warlock. After all this time, there was no doubt that what Merlin felt was love.

And finally here he was in the 21st century, on a beach with his blue butterfly fluttering off into the night above them, and Arthur kissing him with a gentle earnest.

Merlin felt his own hands reaching up to cup the King's face, feeling the roughness of stubble and the hard line of his jaw. Their lips moved against each other and Merlin couldn't help a sigh escape.

"Arthur..." he murmured through parted lips. Arthur shivered and his hands fisted a little in Merlin's hair, arms pulling him as close as humanly possible. So many built up emotions between them. So many years of longing; Arthur finding himself staring after Merlin in Camelot's halls and not knowing why, Merlin crying out for his friend in the darkness of night in those long centuries.

He felt Merlin trembling a little, and tasted a slight saltiness, was Merlin crying? Arthur didn't want him crying.

"Stop it, stop." He murmured against Merlin's lips, moving round to kiss his cheek. But Merlin didn't want him kissing his cheek. The warlock twisted his head to recapture Arthur's lips, and slid his hands round that strong neck, pulling the King even closer. The kiss deepened then, into a more hunger-fuelled, intense passion.

But something began to niggle at the back of Arthur's mind. It wasn't going away. This was Merlin. Merlin was a man. Merlin was his friend. Merlin was his silly clotpole of a manservant. _What in the name of the dragons was he doing kissing him? He shouldn't be doing this._

The King froze then, before abruptly pulling back. Merlin's head jerked forward and he opened his eyes. He saw Arthur staring at him, a look of complete confusion and inner conflict across his handsome face. _No. No no no. Don't do this now, Arthur. Not now you've started something_. Merlin thought desperately.

"Arthur?" he asked, a tentative tone to his voice. The King frowned and shook his head, looking down at his hands, which had been fisted in Merlin's hair not thirty seconds ago.

Arthur sat silently, as the doubts broke down the wall he'd managed to build up. _What the hell was he doing? This was Merlin. A man. What was he thinking? How could he be kissing __Mer__lin, his best friend?_

He swallowed hard and looked back up at Merlin's just as surprised and confused face. What must he think of him?

"_Arthur_!" Merlin said his name again, an urgency to it.

"Forget this happened!" Arthur growled suddenly and stood to his feet, swaying slightly as his vision blurred with dizziness from his haste.

"What?!" Merlin choked out, scrambling to his own feet. Arthur staggered several steps back.

"You heard. Nothing happened."

"But-"

"_Nothing. Happened_!"

And with that, Arthur turned on his heel and jogged away, back up the beach at a pace he knew the other man couldn't keep up with. Merlin stood there staring after him, his heart shattering into a million and one pieces. Again.


	22. The Complication

**_Hi guys, sorry the updates are slow - I've been going round the country looking at Unis and going to comic cons (totally met Jack Donnelly and Robert Emms - Jason and Pythagoras from BBC's Atlantis!). Sorry about the feels! Anyway hope you like this bit! :D *btw warning - some stronger swearing in this, but we're all very mature and grown up adults here right? ;) xxx_**

"Where's Merlin?" Kerry asked when Arthur stormed back into the campsite. Arthur ignored her as he entered his tent. "Arthur? Where is he? What's wrong, what happened?"

The King emerged, his sleeping bag and clothes piled up in his arms. He marched over to Leon, Elyan and Mordred's tent, fiddled with the zip, ignoring the worried and confused stares and dumped his things into Mordred's compartment.

"Arthur Pendragon, you answer Kerry right now." Gwen rose to her feet threateningly, worried for her friend now. But Arthur snapped his eyes to her and gave her such a terrifying, yet unmistakably hurt look she took a step back.

"Don't. Please." He just said, before disappearing inside the tent. Mordred frowned and moved towards the tent, but Leon grabbed his arm.

"I'm not so sure he's in a 'talking mood' right now…"

Mordred shook his head. "I can see that, but I'm not sharing a tent with him when he's acting like this." Leon nodded and let go. The druid boy gingerly entered the tent, emerging a few moments later with his own sleeping things. He transferred them to Merlin's tent before glancing round at the others, still sat transfixed and shocked.

"Well…where's Merlin then?"

* * *

><p>They split into groups to check the local roads, town, beach and paths. Even Morgana joined in the search. It wasn't that he couldn't handle himself, obviously – he wasn't a child. But with Arthur coming back on his own and in such an alarming mood, they were a little worried as to what had happened between them. Not that Arthur would ever hurt Merlin, but something must have gone wrong. Arthur obviously remained in the tent whilst the others went to look.<p>

Kerry demanded she take the beach, she had a feeling he would still be there, and she was probably the one who Merlin would be more likely to talk to, should she find him.

What had Arthur done? Why wasn't Merlin with him? What was that prat in such a foul mood for? Her mind wouldn't shut-up as she jogged to the beach, a blanket in one arm (it was dark and cold and Merlin had gone without his jacket, she was such a mother-hen at times). She arrived at the beach and squinted down the dark stretch of sand towards the left. Thank god for the bright moon lighting up the sand, she didn't have magic and it was so dark that without it, trying to find a dark haired man in a dark coloured top on a dark beach would have been nigh on impossible.

As she turned her head to look down the other side of the beach, she spotted him. Or at least what she thought was him: a crumpled shape in the distance. Shit. It may well be a rock or a pile of seaweed, but she should still check it out, just in case.

* * *

><p>Merlin lay there on the sand. He was crying so much he was now choking on his own sobs, and breathing was becoming more and more difficult. Obviously he'd tried to run after Arthur, but his tears and panic had blurred his vision so much so that as he'd staggered after the King, he'd caught his foot on a rock partially buried in the sand. He'd twisted his ankle and fallen to the ground, hitting his head hard on another stone. Fortunately he'd not been knocked out (although Merlin wished he had), but he was bleeding quite a bit, crying, covered in sand and unable to walk. So he'd given up even bothering to try and continue after Arthur.<p>

The warlock was now supporting himself on an elbow and a hand, flat on the soft sand beside him. Blood dribbled down his face and onto the pale sand, making darker spots in the moonlight. The crying now sounded like a wounded animal, and his body shook painfully with each sob.

Merlin curled in on himself as the crying and heartbreak caused such an ache in his chest. He clutched at his stomach as he managed to choke out another sob. Eventually he seemed to lose energy and his sobs quietened down to just silent crying, his body still shaking, an occasional strangled noise the only indication that the heap on the dark beach was actually a human being. He was bordering on hysterical by now. And wouldn't you be? If the one you loved, who had died in your arms, and you'd spent a millennia-and-a-half waiting for, had finally returned to you, given you such hope by kissing you but then gone and pushed you away again? All this time, all that heartache, shoved straight back in his face. Like he didn't matter. Like none of it mattered.

It was in this state that Kerry found him.

As she neared the pile she thought to be Merlin, she saw it – him – move. He shuddered with a sob before letting out a quiet wail that was truly heart-breaking in itself.

"Merlin?" She asked, horrified. But he didn't show any indication he'd heard her. "Merlin, are you hurt? I need to know if you can move…"

This time he shook his head, still crying. "You can't? Jesus Merlin, what've you done?" She of course meant what had he done to injure himself, but Merlin took the question differently.

His voice, barely a whisper, sounded cracked, worn through as another sob racked his body.

"I don't know…I don't fucking know."

Kerry bit her lip, and whipped out her phone. She sent Percival a text to tell the others that she'd found him, but might need help moving him, before putting it back into her pocket and sitting down on the sand in front of his head. Gently she reached a hand out to soothingly stroke his hair and he managed to pull himself forwards enough to turn and lay his head in her lap, before breaking down into further tears. After placing the blanket around him, she cradled his head and waited for the tears to die down. It took a while, but eventually Merlin grew quiet. His eyes now looked empty, any emotion drained away with the tears. It scared her a little.

He then hauled himself into a sitting position. Kerry shuffled forwards and, not really knowing what to do, rested her head against his back, wrapping her arms around his chest, in an attempt to hold him together. Merlin looked down and stared at her hands which were absent-mindedly playing with the corners of the blanket wrapped around him. He looked back up to the sea. A ferry or fishing boat was out there as he spied distant lights. He wished he was out there, on the ocean. Away from everything.

Soon enough the others arrived, wheezing and gasping as they'd jogged from their own search areas. Mordred knelt beside Merlin and asked where the blood on his head was from.

"Fell. Hit my head. Hurt my ankle." Merlin said in a monotone voice, not taking his eyes off the sea. The druid-boy nodded and he cast some sort of healing spell for the cut on Merlin's head, as Elyan helped Kerry up. Leon and Percival hauled the warlock up onto his good foot and, with Merlin limping and still casting several glances out to sea, they made their way slowly back up to the campsite.

* * *

><p>Merlin was unsurprised that Arthur was no longer sharing his tent, or if he was he didn't show it. The slighter-framed man said nothing, but simply took a cloth to wash the blood off of his face, before limping into his tent and going straight to bed.<p>

The King too lay quietly in his bed. He'd calmed down now, no longer furious with himself. Both men stayed wide awake long after everyone else finally went to sleep, staring into the darkness. Merlin lay completely motionless as he tried to silence his screaming mind, whereas Arthur tossed and turned as he lay there, trying to make sense of his thoughts and earlier actions. Why had he kissed Merlin? Why had he wanted it so much? Why did he still want it? Had Merlin kissed him back? Or was that just his mind running wild as he replayed the catastrophic event over and over? What would happen between them now? Their friendship would be irreparable.

_What a mess you've made of things, Arthur, _he thought to himself.

Mordred was sharing with Merlin for the night, and had at first tried to speak with Merlin, asking whether he was ok, and telling him that he was there if the warlock needed someone to talk to. But Merlin said nothing in reply. Once Mordred realised that it would be like trying to get blood from a stone, the younger man decided to just leave him be for a while and had gone to sleep himself. And so the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth lay still on his airbed, in a tent, in some random campsite, surrounded by his friends and the King he loved dearly, but the most alone he'd felt in one-thousand-five-hundred years.

* * *

><p>Kerry drove the van back home. Merlin sat in the front with her, his head leaning against the window, watching the outside world go past in a blur. Arthur sat at the back. He'd been ignored by the others all morning, and to be honest he was quite happy with that, he didn't feel like talking to anyone anyway. They'd also not spoken to Merlin, but that was more to give him his own space out of consideration.<p>

Arthur had noticed the cut on Merlin's forehead earlier that day, and had seen the man limping as he carried sleeping bags and airbeds into the back of the minibus. An awful guilt had washed over him as he realised that somehow they had been his fault, but going over to the man would hardly help matters. Merlin wasn't even looking at him anymore and not in a childish way either, but in a way that told the King that to even glance his way caused the warlock unease. He must think that Arthur was disgusting. There was no way that the man had kissed him back last night. It had all been Arthur forcing his foul desires and yearnings onto him. He had royally fucked this whole thing up. It was this modern century – it was messing with his head. The King closed his eyes tight, as he noticed his gaze was trailing its way over to stare at the back of Merlin's neck. Gawping at the man would hardly help anything.

On the front seat, Kerry's phone vibrated with a text. She glanced across at Merlin. He was now staring straight ahead. The young Pendragon girl was worried about him. Of course she had made many guesses as to what had gone on. All she could piece together was that either Arthur or Merlin had said or done something the other hadn't liked and Arthur must have stormed away. Merlin, knowing Merlin, would have tried to run after him, and then the whole twisting ankle and hitting head thing must then have happened. She hazarded a guess that one of them had shown their feelings in some way, but it had gone wrong. Horribly wrong. Because now they weren't even looking at each other. By instinct she knew that Arthur had screwed up in some way. Whether he'd brushed off Merlin's advances or Merlin had brushed off his, or whatever, either way the royal prat had reacted badly. And Merlin was hurt; physically and emotionally. And no one hurt Merlin on her watch, not even the once and future arse of a King.

"Could you check that for me, Merlin?" Kerry asked, sending him a brief, yet understanding smile. He picked up the device, his pale and slender fingers doing the a simple task with such grace that Kerry couldn't help thinking that if Arthur had indeed brushed off Merlin's advances, he must be off his head.

A panicked and half strangled sound escaped from Merlin's lips as he read the text, before he cleared his throat and tossed the phone back onto the spare seat, evidently hoping that Kerry hadn't picked up on his reaction. Wrong.

"What the hell was that in aid of?"

"What was what in aid of?" he replied nonchalantly, his composure calm and sombre once more.

"_Mer_lin…" she sighed. "Never mind. Who's the text from? What's it say?"

The warlock glanced sideways at the phone and wet his dry lips.

"Sam. He says he's in town for a while and he wants to drop by."

Kerry frowned, trying to fit together the information and Merlin's reaction to it. It was only her step-brother. Alright so he'd not been to see them in a while, but what was wrong with him visiting? Maybe Merlin just thought the timing was bad, given his disagreement with Arthur, and the fact that the Knights of the Round Table were living in her front room.

"Hmm well grand timing as always, Sam!" she muttered, changing lanes. "But I've not seen him in ages and I miss him. And to be frank, I could do with a normal, non-magic, non-medieval person in the house for a change! Tell him that's fine." Kerry said smiling. Merlin hesitated for a few seconds before picking the phone back up and responding to the text, nimble fingers flying over the screen. He heaved a sigh, as if inviting Sam over was the last thing he needed. Kerry glanced once more at him, after the phone had been thrown back onto the seat in a 'well-that's-just-great' manner, but she didn't remark.

Arthur, at the back of the bus, only heard an odd word of Merlin and Kerry's conversation. Was this Sam bloke coming over? He was Kerry's step-brother, right? Did that mean Arthur was related to him, or not? He pondered the question, confused by the family terminology and wished he could ask Merlin about it. But he couldn't. So he folded his arms, leant his head back and closed his eyes. He might as well catch up on lost sleep from last night.

* * *

><p>It took a good deal of time to get back home, unpack and sort everything out. Everyone noticed how much Merlin and Arthur were avoiding each other, and awkwardly tiptoed round them, but eventually by the evening, all the camping equipment had been put away.<p>

Arthur had at some point taken his clothes and bed from Merlin's room and placed them with the knights' things downstairs.

When Merlin later walked into his room and found it half empty, he just stared, heaving a sigh. Kerry came up behind him and saw what his morose expression was for. She moved to his side and wrapped her arms round his slim frame, leaning her head on him. He extracted an arm to place round her and rested his head atop hers before breathing out another sigh as he held his friend close. He certainly seemed to be sighing a lot, Kerry noticed; it was a cliché indicator he was in love. But a blind man could have seen that anyway.

"It'll be okay." She said quietly.

A long silence lapsed before Merlin drew in a breath. "No it won't."

Kerry couldn't think of anything to say in reply, so she remained silent, her heart practically breaking on his behalf. He spoke again, changing the topic.

"I'm thinking of buying another house. One down the street has conveniently just come on the market. This house is too small to give sufficient room for us all. And besides that way, those that want..._space_ can live there."

Kerry sighed now. She agreed that they needed more room for everyone. But the two men distancing themselves from each other instead of talking was not going to help matters. She opened her mouth to say this, when the doorbell rang.

The door opened and Sam's voice called up the stairs.

"Kerry? Guess who came home to his little sister?"

Merlin swallowed hard and glanced towards the top of the stairs. Kerry eyed him suspiciously before letting go and running down the staircase.

"Sam!" The warlock heard her say laughing, and he heard Sam's familiar chuckle.

"Ugh I've missed you!" Sam smiled down at his step-sister, who he counted as blood. Arthur walked into the hallway from the kitchen then to see what the commotion was about and paused. Sam glanced him up and down and looked back at Kerry.

"Who's this then? You didn't tell me you had a guy…"

"Oh no! No, ew. No this is my friend, Arthur." The King pouted at Kerry's use of 'ew', but held his hand out to Sam nonetheless. Sam smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners and took the offered hand.

"Sam Walker." Arthur nodded politely before letting go of the hand. Sam then glanced around before looking back at Kerry. "So um…Merlin still living with you? Not seen him in ages…"

"He's upstairs, I thought he'd have come down. _Merlin_!" The young Pendragon called up the stairs to him.

On the landing, Merlin squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, before letting it out again. He straightened his shirt, and glanced in the mirror on the wall, before appearing at the top of the stairs.

He stared down at Sam, who stared straight back up and held his gaze for a few moments. Arthur frowned between the two.

"Sam…good to see you, man."

"You too, Emrys." A soft smile played at the corner of Sam's lips. "It's been a while…."


	23. The Epiphany

_**Hey guys, so glad you liked the last chapter! Hope you enjoy this one too! Hehe ;) xxx**_

Merlin descended the stairs, and Arthur noticed Sam didn't take his eyes off of the warlock. It made him angry for some reason, yet he had no right to be.

Mordred appeared at that moment from the living room and Kerry's brother tore his eyes away to look at the druid boy.

"Ah, Sam this is my…" she blushed, "my boyfriend Mordred."

Sam folded his arms in a big brotherly 'oh really' way, much like Arthur had done, except the King found himself resenting the man more for that.

"Are you messing with my sister?" Sam glared murderously at Mordred, whose eyes widened in surprise. The druid boy took a step backwards uncertainly, before Kerry rolled her eyes and pulled him back. Sam's glower broke into a grin, and he reached a hand out to clap Mordred on the shoulder. "I'm only joking with you, man."

"Oh!" Mordred smiled uncertainly.

"Interesting name, Mordred. Wasn't that a name of like a knight or some lord in the Arthurian legend?" Sam asked. No one quite knew what to say, but it didn't matter because Sam started speaking again. "Never mind. But seriously, if you hurt her I will end you." Mordred's smile fell once again. How many angry members of Kerry's family must he put up with?

Kerry rolled her eyes and muttered an "I'd like to see you try," under her breath, which Merlin heard and chuckled at. Sam's gaze flickered back to him. The warlock blushed as he felt Sam's deep brown eyes watching him. Anger boiled inside Arthur for some unknown reason, and he suddenly spoke up.

"Perhaps you'd like to meet the others, Sam?"

"Others?" Sam asked, finally turning once more to Arthur. "Oh dear, I've not come at a bad time, I hope? Have I intruded on something?"

_Yes_, thought Arthur.

"No" said Kerry. "No it's just some of Merlin's friends from a re-enactment group who're stopping over for a bit."

"Oh right. Don't suppose you're re-enacting Camelot? We've got a Merlin, an Arthur and a Mordred. You'll be telling me you've got Morgan Le Fay staying here too." He laughed at his own joke until Morgana herself walked into the hallway, hearing something that sounded like her name.

"Sam, this is Arthur's sister, Morgana." Kerry said in a deadpan voice.

* * *

><p>Sam took some convincing that the fact they were all named after characters from the Arthurian legend, and that they just so happened to all be friends, was purely a coincidence. He was adamant that they must have changed their name by deed poll, though he'd not thought of a good enough reason yet.<p>

Morgana was a little irked by his presence initially, simply because she wasn't allowed to use her magic in front of him, but still found him pleasant company nonetheless. Mordred liked him, despite the brotherly threat earlier, but Percival and Gwaine were more wary at first, because he was only the second person from this century they'd properly met, Kerry being the first.

However it didn't take long for them to be won over, he was really nice; like the male version of Kerry, but with obvious differences because they weren't actually related by blood. Where Kerry's hair was a rich dark brown colour, Sam's was a light ginger, bordering on strawberry blonde. Where Kerry was a short 5'2'', Sam was around 6'and so on. They all were drawn to the deep brown of his eyes; they were so warm and inviting. Gwen muttered to Morgana at one point that the only way to describe them was "doe-like in the most cliché and beautiful way possible". Morgana had smirked and whispered back something about his derrière, which made the Queen gasp and giggle and Leon pout.

They all also quickly discovered that they all wanted to keep making Sam laugh and talk, because it sounded so good; he had grown up in the north of England before his mother had married Kerry's father so he had a slight northern lilt in contrast to Kerry's more southern accent.

Leon found him interesting to talk to, as Sam was into dramatics and performing arts, and the knight had enjoyed his brief shot at being Romeo a while ago. Gwen admired, amongst other things, how the man would listen with interest to anything anyone said, especially Merlin, and he won her over completely when he offered to get her on something called a 'linguistics' course his friend ran, it had something to do with different languages apparently, and Gwen was interested in that. And Elyan found him to be a good laugh as Sam poked fun and teased Kerry in an adorable brotherly way that reminded him of his and Gwen's own childhood.

There was of course one exception to all the adoration – Arthur. The King hated him. He hated his silly, effortlessly styled hair, his annoyingly perfect smile, the way everyone loved him, the way he surreptitiously glanced at Merlin whenever the warlock wasn't looking, the way a bemused smile appeared on his lips if Merlin spoke to him. He was a git. A prat. Ugh.

Kerry put it down to Arthur still being in a bad mood from the night before, but she was glad that he and Merlin were at least managing to be in the same room as each other, for now.

Gwaine roared with laughter then at something Sam said, and thumped him on the back. "How come we've been staying with Merlin and Kerry all this time and not met you before?" he asked, grinning. Merlin glanced at Sam, who caught his gaze and swiftly looked back down at his bottle of cider.

"Just uh…been travelling. Not really been in town much." He took a swig of his drink and changed the topic of conversation.

By about two in the morning, everyone was sleepy and wanting their beds. Merlin seemed to have relaxed a little more around Sam now, Kerry noticed, he wasn't as closed off. It was almost like old times. What had been his problem earlier then? Well whatever it was, it had been passed along to Arthur and increased tenfold.

Kerry rose to her feet and hauled Mordred up too, the man was almost asleep. "Well, Sam as you can see – it's full at the inn at the moment, not sure where you're going to sleep- oh wait no…there's space in Merlin's room now."

Sam was about to respond when Arthur stood up so suddenly, the chair he'd dragged in from the kitchen toppled over. Ignoring it, the King stepped over the chair and stomped out of the room and through to the kitchen. Kerry's eyes narrowed at him in annoyance, before she turned back to Sam and smiled. If she noticed the red tinge appearing on both her brother and Merlin's cheeks, she thought nothing of it.

* * *

><p>Merlin had just finished setting up yet another bed on the floor of his room when Sam opened the door, his travel rucksack slung over his shoulder. The warlock straightened and turned around, blushing when he saw Sam watching him from the doorway.<p>

"Sorry you couldn't have the spare room…" he spoke, but his voice was very quiet.

"Who's sorry, you or me?"

Merlin's mouth opened and closed in surprise at Sam's blunt question, but the other man smiled and waved a hand. "Kidding, Merlin." He came into the room properly then and put his bag down on the floor. Merlin wrung his hands and tried to avoid looking at him. However, when Sam began to pull his shirt off Merlin sort of squeaked, but tried to turn it into a clearing of his throat. Sam paused, his arms still in the sleeves, but his torso very shirtless.

"…Listen, I could always go to a Travel Lodge…?"

"Oh no, no it's fine. It'll be fine. Don't worry. No need to pay for that when it's free here…er I'm sorry, I just forgot I left something downstairs." And Merlin skirted round Sam, deliberately making sure not to accidentally brush against him.

The warlock hurried down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. He checked himself, regaining his breath and composure, before walking into the kitchen. Merlin stopped abruptly when he saw Arthur slumped at the counter. Great.

The King turned his head towards the doorway, hearing a noise and saw Merlin. His insides tightened at the sight of the warlock frozen there, obviously unsure whether to fully enter the room or run away, back upstairs to his precious _Sam_.

"It's okay," Arthur mumbled, grabbing his half-empty glass of water, "I'm going to bed now anyway." He hopped down from his barstool and wobbled slightly. Perhaps it wasn't water then.

The King approached Merlin and the door, and the warlock stepped to the side to allow the King to leave, but as Arthur passed him, he paused. A pained look came over his face, and he looked hard at the ground for a few moments, before glancing up into Merlin's eyes.

"Merlin, I-…" he began, but stopped and shook his head, looking down at his glass. "No. No, never mind. Don't worry."

"I won't." Came the rather harsh reply.

Arthur's eyes snapped back up to Merlin, the pained look hardening into a cooler, tougher expression. "Fine."

"Fine."

Arthur glared at him for several seconds more before sweeping out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Merlin stood still for several moments, slowing his hammering heart, before he got himself a glass of water. He gulped it down thirstily before using his magic to clean the glass and put it away.

The warlock trudged back upstairs after turning out all the lights and took a deep breath outside his door. He pushed it open and shut it quietly behind him. Sam was in his bed on the floor, reading one of the Game of Thrones books.

"It's good that one." Merlin said, trying to lessen the awkward atmosphere.

Sam smiled. "Don't spoil it, Merlin."

"I won't..." Merlin stepped over the end of Sam's bed to his own and sat down. He changed as quickly as he could (Sam concentrating pretty hard on his book) and dived under the covers.

Merlin stared at the ceiling. This felt weird. He was so used to Arthur being there on the floor now.

"Listen...I won't stay long..." Sam suddenly spoke then. Merlin turned in his bed to look at him.

"No, stay...Kerry's missed you."

Sam swallowed hard and seemed to be boring a hole into his book he was staring at it so intensely.

"And…have you?"

"Yes of course I have, you're my friend..." Merlin replied. Those dark eyes glanced up at him.

"Right. Yeh. We're friends." Sam smiled weakly.

_Don't look at me like that,_ Merlin thought guiltily. Alright, saying that had been a little mean of him. But there was a good reason why he and Sam had split up.

It was Kerry. She knew nothing of what had happened between them. Merlin hadn't wanted to tell her about their relationship, but neither did he like keeping secrets. He was meant to be looking out for Kerry, and Sam was...distracting.

Kerry didn't even know that Merlin was that way inclined, or at least up until recently. She'd probably guessed by now. He'd always denied it, anything to stop her from finding out about him and Sam. He wasn't even entirely sure why he'd wanted to hide it so badly. But anyway it had come to a head when Merlin realised he'd not picked up that Kerry was being hurt by her then-boyfriend Ryan sooner - something he still hadn't forgiven himself for.

It hadn't ended badly, no arguments or hatred or shouting matches. It had just simply...ended. Sam had understood, partially, and he held no grudges. But they'd not seen or talked to each other for a while and Merlin didn't know how Sam had been holding up, was he over it? Had he slipped into a heartbroken depression? Or was he completely fine, glad even? Perhaps he had another boyfriend now. Whatever had happened with the man, at the worst possible time, here he was on Merlin's bedroom floor again, although under very different circumstances... Oh the strain his poor heart was under.

Sam closed his book then, and put it under his pillow. Merlin had never understood why Sam did that. He'd always used to joke that it was a good thing Sam had a thick skull; the corners of the book must be uncomfortable even through a pillow, especially one the size of Game of Thrones. Sam seemed to have been remembering the same thing; for he grinned and said "Skull's as thick as ever."

Merlin smiled down at him. He was the same old Sam. The warlock wanted to tell him to never change. But he suddenly remembered Arthur's murmured "I don't want you to change..." near Avalon, and stopped himself, recalling that painful memory.

_Arthur_. Merlin's stomach tightened as the raw pain he'd been trying to smother returned to the surface. He turned away from Sam and pulled the covers higher. He heard Sam sigh and then he heard the sound of him turning away too. The house was full of aching hearts tonight.

* * *

><p>Arthur lay awake on his bed in the living room. He'd taken Mordred's old spot, seeing as the man had basically moved into Kerry's room.<p>

The King didn't like it down here. He could hear noises from the box that froze the food in the kitchen. And every so often one of those car things would drive past outside. Percival, Gwaine and Elyan were used to it and slept soundly. Gwaine was curled into Percival's chest, the bigger man's arm wrapped protectively around him and Elyan was asleep; arms and legs sticking out in all directions near Arthur on the other side of the room.

The King glanced over to Percival and Gwaine and felt a pang in his chest. He envisioned Merlin curled into him, their bodies fitting and melting into each other perfectly. But he shook his head to dispel the image. That would never happen. It shouldn't happen. It was wrong.

But then Arthur looked over at the two men on the other side of the room again. Was it really that wrong? They were both so happy, and they were perfect for each other. There was no way Gwaine could be without Percival and vice versa. And no one thought any less of them. This century and society was a lot more accepting of such things than Camelot. Even Arthur couldn't object to their love.

No, he took back what he'd thought – there was nothing wrong with it. Percival and Gwaine were living proof.

So what had happened between him and Merlin? Arthur loved his smile, his silliness, his ridiculous ears, his positivity, his friendship, his unwavering loyalty, his unchanging kindness, his beautiful magic. He _wanted_ Merlin. He felt complete with the clotpole by his side. He wanted more than just to be his friend. Why couldn't he just admit it? There was nothing wrong with it! _Just admit it already_. Alright goddamit. He…_felt_ something for Merlin. There...he'd admitted it.

Arthur let out a long breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Something like a huge weight felt lifted from his chest. The pain and grief there seemed to melt away, and be replaced by something warmer and more tender. Merlin. He loved Merlin.

That dollophead.

* * *

><p>The next dawned grey and rainy. Sam slowly woke and rubbed his tired eyes before sitting up in his bed. He glanced over to Merlin. The man lay there still asleep; hair messy, mouth slightly open and an arm hanging off the side of the bed. Sam smiled and tentatively reached a hand out to brush some of Merlin's hair from his face. The man stirred and immediately Sam retracted his arm.<p>

Merlin's eyes began to blink open and he turned onto his back to stretch. Although he tried hard not to, Sam watched the warlock yawn and rub his face. He thought back to the times when he'd watched Merlin wake beside him, and smiled.

"Morning. Welcome to reality."

"Mmmno I hate reality." Merlin replied, unperturbed by Sam's presence in his drowsiness. Then he frowned in confusion as he properly woke and realised. Why was Sam Walker there and not Arthur?…And then it came flooding back.

Sam saw the strange look in Merlin's eyes as he looked down at him and felt a fresh stab of pain. Of course he caused that kind of reaction. _What had happened between them?_ He thought unhappily. But he smiled bravely nonetheless.

"Sleep well?" He asked in an overly chipper voice.

"Yeh…" Merlin looked at the clock before pulling the duvet off and swinging his legs over the side, leaning his head into his hands. "You?"

"Like a baby."

"Hmm, matches your mentality." Merlin moved his hands and grinned down. Sam rolled his eyes but smiled back nonetheless before he hauled himself to his feet. Merlin's eyes unwittingly trailed down his body before he looked back up into Sam's eyes. He blushed and hurriedly got out of bed, walking over to the door and stepping onto the landing.

_Stop it Merlin_, he shook his head vigorously. How did Kerry's step-brother still have the ability to confuse and muddle his head? _Distracting_.

Without looking where he was going, he bumped into Arthur, whose piercing eyes bored into him. _Yes, Kerry's brother was distracting and muddling, _he thought sadly,_ but not as much as this man_.

Merlin cleared his throat. "Morning," he spoke politely before starting to descend the stairs.

"You too." The King replied softly and Merlin paused for several seconds, but then continued down to the kitchen. Arthur stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

Gripping the sink and staring into the mirror, he gave a shuddering sigh. He needed to sort things out with Merlin soon. It was slowly killing him. But would Merlin even want to forgive him? What the hell had he run away from him for? Had he lost his best friend?

His knuckles turned white as he grasped the sides of the sink tightly. He needed to get him back, to apologise, to beg his forgiveness, to taste those lips again…

Arthur released the sink and splashed cool water over his face before looking back up into the mirror. He studied his reflection for several moments. _Ugh_, he groaned internally. Was there even any point? Why on earth would Merlin want him? He had nothing on _Sam_. Arthur's eyes narrowed. He may have a tough time winning back Merlin, when there was a handsome, charming, witty, sweet man like Sam around. The King gulped as he realised he not only had to try and win Merlin back, but he had some competition; _Walker_ had hardly been able to keep his eyes off of Merlin all yesterday evening.

Arthur dried his face with a towel and left the bathroom. He walked downstairs towards the kitchen. How did he start this? 'Hey Merlin. Sorry I was an arse. By the way I think I'm in love with you'? No, that was ridiculous. He growled at himself and was trying to think of something else he could say, when he entered the kitchen.

Merlin was making some coffee on the stove, and Sam was stood beside him leaning on the counter, chatting companionably. Arthur's fists tightened at his sides. Sam looked away from Merlin and towards Arthur.

"Morning your majesty." He joked, referring to his kingly name, little did he know. Arthur's eyes narrowed and he walked to the cupboard on Merlin's other side. He cast several sideways glances, and was slightly amused to see that Merlin was doing the same to him, glancing away quickly whenever their eyes accidentally met. Sam didn't seem to notice, as he began searching through some cupboards looking for the cups.

Arthur poured himself a bowl of cereal and reached for the sugar, just as Merlin reached for it, intending to stir some into the coffee. Their hands brushed, and Merlin's automatically jerked away at the contact. Arthur inhaled sharply at the warlock's reaction. This was going to be a whole lot harder than he'd anticipated.


	24. The Mistake

_**Hi guys, so glad you're enjoying this! I really love Sam idk why, do you guys like Sam? He's such a cutie and he's put up with a lot of heartache – but that'll hopefully be elaborated more in my next fic I'm planning where I do chapters of Merlin's past life, is that a good idea? Anyway, I'm away for this coming week, so no updates for a bit! But hope this tides you over hehe xxx**_

The rest of the day was spent indoors, due to the rainy weather, watching movies, chatting, playing board games and drinking endless cups of tea and coffee. Arthur noticed bitterly that whenever Merlin sat anywhere, he always sat where there would only be one space next to him. Which was promptly taken by Sam. The warlock also looked away whenever the King caught his eye, and then quickly began chatting to Prince Charming.

Arthur was angry now. Angry that Merlin wasn't even giving him a chance to apologise, angry that Sam was always there and in his way. His mood quickly deteriorated. It made him seem taciturn to the others; everything was infuriating him.

Merlin took it personally; Arthur was obviously still angry at him. The King was further and further drawing away from him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He started to feel more and more unhappy and dejected. What had he done wrong? What was so repulsive about him that Arthur had been so disgusted by their kiss, that he'd denied anything had happened? At least he had Sam there, he was keeping Merlin from breaking down completely again.

They were sat on the sofa watching some rubbish programme on the television. Arthur had spat that it was boring and pointless watching the 'bloody magic box' (Sam's eyebrows had raised at this) when there was nothing of interest on it, and had proceeded to storm out of the room and into the kitchen, pushing one of the bar stools over in his irritation.

Merlin had winced and reached a hand down to secretly take Sam's for comfort; Arthur's anger was scaring and hurting him. Kerry's brother had turned his attention away from the space Arthur had recently vacated, and stared down at their entwined fingers in surprise, before looking up into Merlin's eyes and smiling.

* * *

><p>When no one could take any more of the restless trapped-in-doors Arthur, they decided they should get out of the crowded house and go to a pub or something.<p>

However it hardly improved matters. Arthur sat with his pint of ale, scowling at anything and everything, but mainly Merlin, who as usual had Sam at his side.

Merlin's heart hurt beyond anything he'd felt for many years, and so he imbibed more than his usual amount of alcohol in an attempt to dull the pain and ignore Arthur's intense glare.

Kerry didn't know what to do with the two idiots; she was practically pulling her hair out worrying. That caused Mordred to fret over her. Percival and Gwaine were both worried about their friends too, but at least they had each other. They cast furtive glances between Merlin and Arthur as they tightly held hands under the table. Gwen was furious at Arthur for starting this whole thing, and for continuing to make it worse and Leon and Elyan just sat there, heads in hands, completely at a loss as to what they should do, if they should even do anything.

Morgana leant back in her chair, smiling darkly at the chaos, sipping her glass of blood red wine that contrasted against her pale skin. It earned her the stares of many men and even women from the bar. She loved anarchy.

* * *

><p>Kerry and Gwen both agreed they probably all should leave now, Merlin was slurring his words and looking very close to tears, and Arthur was insulting anything and everything that 'looked at him', including the little plastic menu on their table. The pub perhaps had been a bad idea.<p>

On the short walk back to the house, Merlin kept tripping up, so Sam pulled the man's arm round his shoulder to steady the warlock. Arthur stalked past, speeding up to get away, muttering some very foul words under his breath that Merlin heard.

Back at the house, Kerry went straight to her room and slammed the door. Mordred looked worriedly up the stairs and Arthur leant in behind him, following the druid boy's stare.

"Well I'd slam my door too, if I _had_ a room!" he said in a snarky voice.

"Oh my god shut _up_, Arthur! I am sick of you today!" Gwen suddenly shouted, her patience snapping, causing everyone to jump.

"Yeh? Well I'm sick of _everything_! I'm sick of this place, of this time, I'm sick of everyone!" he yelled back, looking specifically at Sam and Merlin as he did, before he stormed out of the house, saying something along the lines of "I might as well have stayed dead." Sam frowned, partially at what Arthur had just muttered, but mostly at how he'd been acting. He didn't think much of Merlin's friend.

The warlock then began to trudge up the stairs towards his room, wiping at his eyes; Arthur's words had stung him. Sam decided he should get the man a glass of water – it may lessen the hangover he would have in the morning. Everyone else filtered away to their respective beds, Mordred bringing Kerry a cup of hot chocolate in a hope to cheer her up.

When Sam entered Merlin's room, the curtains were shut and the lights turned out, he could just make out his friend's hunched over figure in the dark. He looked like he'd started to get into his sleeping clothes but had given up part way through; he sat on the edge of his bed, his shirt and trousers discarded on the floor, joggers pulled onto only one leg. Sam carefully picked his way through the room and placed the cup onto the bedside table.

"You should drink some water, Merlin. You'll not feel too good in the morning otherwise…"

"Thank-you, Sam." Merlin mumbled, his face buried in his hands.

Sam nodded, even though the warlock couldn't see. He was in the middle of getting changed himself when he heard a muffled sob come from Merlin.

"Hey, what's up?" Sam moved back over to the main bed, crouching down in front of the warlock. "Hey…" he placed his hand on Merlin's knee and the man looked up to meet his eyes, tears glistening on his cheeks. And then he surprised Sam, though not unpleasantly.

He leaned forwards and began kissing him, hard.

"Mmf, Merlin!" Sam tried to speak around the crushing lips. He knew Merlin was upset about something and was pretty drunk – he didn't want to take advantage of his friend while he was in this emotional state. "Merlin…try and think-" but Merlin's hands reached up to fist in his hair and pull him closer. "You're not yourself, you'll…you'll regret it in the morning." But Sam was finding it harder and harder to argue and resist. God he'd missed those lips. "Merlin, listen you'll-"

"Please just-…" Merlin gasped, moving his hands to Sam's back and tugging with a surprising strength. It worked; Sam overbalanced and fell forwards onto Merlin.

Resistance and common sense went to pot then and Sam moved more comfortably onto the bed, leaning over Merlin who was now lying beneath him and whose hands were desperately fiddling with Sam's belt.

He'd almost forgotten how this man could make him feel, and shivered at Merlin's touch. He tasted Merlin's desperate tongue.

It had been months since he'd been this close to someone. There was just no one else like Merlin; he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Oh god Merlin…" he gasped raggedly as something akin to magic coursed through him at Merlin's touch.

As for Merlin, he was still crying a little, the occasional tear finding its way down his cheek so that both men could taste the saltiness. He couldn't count the emotions surging inside him; bitterness, sorrow, anger, desire, torment…

Merlin knew somewhere deep at the back of his fuzzy mind that if he were completely sober, he probably wouldn't be doing this, but he really wasn't sober, so clear-thinking was out, and besides he needed this. He repeated the last thought aloud.

"I know, I know…I do too." Sam half spoke, half moaned.

Why didn't Arthur love him? After everything he had done for him, all the time he'd waited, all the heartache he'd gone through. And now it seemed the King hated him. Pain, rejection and alcohol rushed through him and all Merlin could think of, through the spinning of his mind, was getting some relief from it all, and Sam knew how to give him that.

They soon became a tangle of arms and legs and lips, but there was still a name at the back of Merlin's mind.

Arthur.

* * *

><p>The King sat on the edge of the lake, morosely flicking stones into the dark waters. Why did he have to always screw things up? Merlin probably completely hated him now. And he wouldn't blame him; he'd been an arse all day. This 'winning Merlin back' plan wasn't really working. He sighed and laid down onto his back, staring at the sky that had cleared now. Little dots of light permeated the inky black blanket of night.<p>

Why was he even back? He wasn't doing any good; he was just causing pain and messing up people's lives. The King began to part-hum, part-sing along to one of Merlin's songs; he couldn't remember all the lyrics though, just part of a verse.

"You're my back bone, you're my cornerstone, you're my crutch when my legs stop moving. You're my head start, you're my rugged heart, you're the pulse that I've always needed." He sang under his breath, tapping out the rhythm on the ground. Arthur was singing about Merlin and he knew it.

The King gave a loud groan and threw an arm across his face. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't things just work smoothly? He needed to sort things out properly. Right now.

Arthur rose to his feet and quickly started on the walk back to the house, a determined expression on his countenance.

* * *

><p>It didn't really take that long for Arthur to reach the house and he was a little out of breath as he quietly let himself in (he'd ran part of the way). The lights were out indoors, and he recognised the familiar sounds of Elyan's snoring from the living room. He just hoped Merlin was awake, and that Sam would let him have five minutes alone with his friend to talk. He took the stairs three at a time, as quietly as he could.<p>

Taking a deep breath, he approached Merlin's closed bedroom door. He was about to raise his hand to knock, when he heard some strange noises…

Arthur frowned, confused. And then he heard Sam gasp Merlin's name, a little muffled by the shut door admittedly…but there was no mistaking it.

His hands fisted so tightly, that his fingernails cut into his palm. But Arthur couldn't feel any pain.

Oh. _Oh_.

Arthur began to tremble on the landing. A million different thoughts attacked him. _What? How?! Since when were Sam and Merlin…? Merlin did this kind of thing?_

But one thought kept replaying, scorching itself into his mind and hurting the most. _He'd lost Merlin forever_.

The King took several shaky steps backwards, nausea sweeping through him. He wanted to scream, he wanted to throw up, he wanted to kick the door down and punch Sam, he wanted Excalibur.

He wanted Merlin.

But he couldn't do or have any of those things. Arthur nearly fell backwards down the stairs in his state of utter shock. He turned and fled to the sanctity of the kitchen.

Gwaine had a bottle of some foul tasting alcohol somewhere in there, and Arthur needed something to block this out.

Tears were now falling freely down his face, even though he used to tell himself he wasn't one for crying and being emotional like soppy maidens. He scrubbed at his face with his sleeve messily as he rummaged desperately through the cupboards. He found the bottle of clear liquid, 'Vodka', was that what the label said? He couldn't imagine why Gwaine liked this stuff, but it worked when you wanted to forget things. And Arthur wanted to forget things.

* * *

><p>Back in the bedroom, Sam gasped Merlin's name again. Both men had lost track of time. Was it midnight? Or early morning? They didn't care. Sam looked down at Merlin pinned beneath him. Dammit, he'd missed this man. And finally he was back in his bed, making out and messing around. Merlin's raven-black hair was mussed up and he bit down onto his full bottom lip as Sam leaned down to kiss his throat, tongue tasting the smooth, sensitive skin there. Merlin moaned at the touch and rolled his hips, sending shivers, pleasures and longing through Sam's muscular body which Merlin's hands were mapping.<p>

Merlin gasped as Sam remembered everything that made the warlock melt at the touch. Sam gave a breathy chuckle as the man moaned again.

It was there on the tip of the warlock's tongue, he couldn't stop it. Sam…Sam…

Sam's lips began trailing down his chest, his stomach…

"Arthur!" Merlin gasped raggedly.

Sam's lips halted their exploring journey. He looked up, but Merlin hadn't seemed to notice his slip-up. The warlock wriggled beneath him to a more comfortable position, but Sam could only stare dumbfounded.

After a rush of confusion, it all clicked into place; the angry glares, the unbroken gazes, Merlin drinking so much that night, Merlin crying and Arthur's apparent hatred of him. And here he was, in the middle of it all.

A rebound? Casual? A friend with benefits? He didn't know the term for it, but he knew now that whatever this was, it held a different significance to Merlin than it did to him. Merlin didn't want him back; he wasn't looking to restart their relationship at all…this was just…an accident.

Merlin was drunk, vulnerable, and clearly heart-broken over Arthur, Sam could see that now. That was why he'd said he'd "needed this"…

A sledgehammer of pain hit him square in the chest; it knocked any breath out of him. Stupid, _stupid_! He'd thought-…he'd thought that Merlin wanted- that he and Merlin would…

Sam shook his head. This hurt so much. It was as bad as when Merlin had told him he thought they should stop seeing each other. And just when his heart had started to heal, he'd let himself fall into Merlin's bed once more. He'd told himself that he wouldn't allow himself to succumb to those eyes again. Why had he come over in the first place? He _knew_ he wouldn't be able to resist, damn it.

God, Merlin loved Arthur! And this was more than what he'd had ever felt for Sam, he could sense that. Had Merlin known Arthur for as long as he'd known Sam? Had Arthur always been there in the back of his friend's mind?

"Sam?" Merlin managed to ask.

Sam's heart was thumping away inside his chest as he came crashing back into the room, and looked down at the man he loved. He saw Merlin's oblivious yet concerned expression. Oddly enough, Sam felt a little sympathetic towards the man. He decided that he didn't want to discuss this right now. He couldn't face that part of the heartache yet, and Merlin was a little less than coherent anyway…

Sam moved to kiss Merlin once more, savouring the taste and feel for (he decided) the last time, before pulling back.

"I…I-…" he tried to speak but words couldn't quite form. He shook his head, a worried and sad look on his face.

"It's okay," Merlin smiled, a little breathless, understanding that Sam didn't want to carry on, even if he was unsure as to why. He was always considerate of others and what they wanted. "It's okay. We can stop now if you want to…" Merlin clutched at his spinning head then, still feeling the dizzying effects of the alcohol, nothing was making sense right now. Sam nodded, biting back tears. Yes. They needed to stop.

Merlin shook his head, trying to dissipate the groggy feeling. Why had he decided to fall into bed with Sam again? He couldn't remember, he couldn't really think straight. The pain of Arthur was still there in his chest, though it didn't hurt as much anymore, Sam had taken a lot of it away.

Merlin reached up and laid his palms against Sam's chest which was hovering above him, trembling ever so slightly, and felt the smoothness of his skin. Through the muddle and bleariness of his mind, he wondered what it would be like if it were Arthur above him, placing kisses on his lips and neck, and sending such pleasure through his body at each touch and caress. Suddenly he wished Sam hadn't stopped, but he wasn't going to push the man.

He rolled over to make room for Sam, faintly hoping the man would change his mind as painful thoughts of Arthur slowly trickled back, but Sam slowly moved off of Merlin and collapsed onto the other side of the double bed. The rushing dizziness was making Merlin's lids droop and already he could barely remember how this had even started in the first place...

* * *

><p>Kerry was the first to wake the next morning. She had a headache, and it wasn't from the pub; she'd hardly had anything to drink.<p>

She trudged down the stairs sighing. If Arthur was half as bad as he was yesterday, she was going to go straight back to bed. She was not facing another day of _that_! She padded her way down to the kitchen, yawning and tying her dressing gown on.

When she walked in, she stopped and stared. Arthur was asleep, sat on one of the barstools, sprawled out on the cool marble surface of the bar. A two-thirds empty bottle of vodka was next to his head.

_Bloody hell Arthur_. Kerry thought. Not even Gwaine could handle that much alcohol! She tiptoed round him, but he woke nonetheless.

"Argh what the-" he clutched at his head and squinted at the morning light. It seemed Arthur couldn't handle it either. Kerry moved to the cupboards to look for some Alka-Seltzer. Angry as she was at him, she wouldn't wish a hangover like he must have on anyone.

She placed the packet and a glass of water in front of him.

"What's that?" Arthur croaked.

"Alka-Seltzer…you know for hangovers?"

"What does it do?"

Kerry sighed. "You know, it's just a…fizzy-good-make-feel-nice thing."

"Oh…" Arthur mixed the painkiller into the water and pulled a face at the effervescence.

"So…care to explain?" she asked, handing him the pair of sunglasses that were kept in the cupboard near the Alka-Seltzer. He placed them on and then rubbed his temples, frowning and trying to remember. And then it all hit him again like a three-tonne rock. So much for the vodka.

He groaned. "It's Merlin."

"I guessed." She looked unimpressed.

"I think…" he looked up at her; she was waiting for him to continue. May as well admit it then, if he was going to tell anyone, he thought Kerry would be the best. "I think I love him."

"I know."

Arthur frowned. "How? I haven't told anyone? Hell I only realised the other night!"

Kerry rolled her eyes dramatically. "Arthur, a blind man could have seen it." The King grumbled and muttered something to himself and Kerry shook her head. By the dragons, he was dumb. If he was the once and future king, then she was seriously worried for the future!

"And if you love him, why were you such a dick to him yesterday? And what happened between you two at the beach?"

Arthur briefly explained what had gone on that disastrous night and Kerry groaned loudly. "Arthur thank god you're pretty because sometimes you're the dumbest bitch!"

"I know, I know!" he whined, burying his head in his arms on the counter.

"And yesterday?"

"It's your bloody brother's fault! I didn't get a chance to talk to Merlin alone!"

Kerry thought about that. True, Sam was hanging around with Merlin an awful lot. "So? Talk to him today? I could distract Sam for a bit."

"There's no point anymore, Kerry." Arthur mumbled. "I've…lost him now."

"How do you know that? I can bet you all the money I have that Merlin feels the same way about you as you do him."

"Better pay up then. I know he isn't moping after me, he's otherwise…preoccupied."

"What do you mean?"

Arthur sighed and took a deep breath. "I wanted to talk to him last night when I came back, but I…well…he was enjoying the _pleasure_ of someone else's _company_…"

The young Pendragon girl stood still and frowned, trying to piece together everything Arthur had just said – something was niggling at the back of her mind. And then-

She swore under her breath as finally everything made sense.


	25. The Morning After

_**So glad you're enjoying this, even with all the angst hehehe. Sorry I've not updated in a bit – was away camping :) Hope you like this bit! xxx**_

Merlin stirred and winced. His head was pounding, how much did he drink last night? Why didn't he drink some water before he went to bed?

He yawned in a rather cat-like manner and stretched out. His arm brushed against someone. The warlock jumped in shock before peeking over to his right. Sam was asleep in the bed next to him. _Sam was asleep in the bed next to him!_

_Oh god, Merlin what have you done? _He thought, panic setting in. He then noticed he wasn't wearing many clothes. A glance at the bedroom floor told him that neither was Sam. The warlock screwed his eyes shut and ground his palm against his throbbing head. Bits and pieces of last night's goings on flashed into his mind then, but otherwise he didn't remember much of it.

Sam shifted in bed beside him then, and his eyes slowly began to open.

_Oh shit oh shit oh shit!_ Merlin grimaced in anticipation.

Sam looked across and saw the expression. Ah, the dawn of realisation. It was definitely the alcohol then. Merlin wouldn't have even thought of doing it if he'd been sober. Did he even remember what had happened?

"Merlin…"

"I'm so so sorry, Sam." Merlin sat up and turned towards Kerry's brother, tugging the duvet to cover himself. It slipped off Sam a little and Merlin squeaked adorably, throwing part of the duvet back over the man. Absurdly a small smile teased at the corners of Sam's mouth, but he managed to keep a straight face. This wasn't exactly a laughing matter.

"I can't even-…did we actually-…did we…you know…?" Merlin looked down at the man at his side.

Sam shook his head and managed to speak around an odd lump that was forming in his throat. "No…we just kissed…a lot, and messed around. But we didn't actually…you know, go all the way…"

Merlin seemed a little relieved for a moment, but a horrified expression slowly trickled back onto his face. "Shit…I'm so sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to-…I didn't mean to mess you about."

"I know..." Sam smiled sympathetically as he hauled himself up into a sitting position. Merlin buried his face in his hands, groaning as he fretted. "Listen Merlin…" The warlock moved his hands to look at him. "We need to talk-"

"I know, I'm so sorry. I never meant to- I just- I meant to keep this as a friendship, I didn't….I can't…"

"No Merlin it's okay I didn't mean that, I meant…" he sighed. "You love Arthur, don't you." Sam stated it simply, rather than asking.

Merlin's breath caught in his throat. "How did you-"

"Well...amongst other indicators…you er said his name…last night."

Merlin clapped a hand to his mouth and he paled, which was impressive seeing as he was naturally very pasty anyway.

"Oh my god Sam…" he whispered, "I am _so_ sorry."

Sam smiled weakly. "It's okay. You weren't yourself…I shouldn't have let us get into this mess in the first place…"

Merlin swore and picked up one of the pillows, pressing it to his face, mortified.

"Sam..." he groaned, a little muffled.

"Forget about me," Sam took a deep, slightly shaky breath, "why haven't you told Arthur?"

Merlin removed the pillow. "I can't," he whispered. "He hates me."

"I very much doubt that, no one can hate you..."

"_He_ does." Merlin recounted the events of the past few days (missing out the bit about magic) whilst Sam listened like the good friend he was, though it was killing him.

Sam sighed and rubbed his jaw. "I don't think he hates you, Merlin...I think he's just conflicted."

Merlin frowned and glanced up. "Conflicted?"

"Well...I heard someone mention that he and Gwen used to be together - seriously with the name thing - so...I don't know, maybe he's conflicted about liking you..."

Merlin understood. "Oh..." it did seem a very plausible reason. And it made sense; it would explain all of Arthur's confused expressions, and it definitely explained his reaction to their kiss...but insecurities and doubts still crouched at the back of Merlin's mind.

"But what if it's just him not liking me in the first place? I mean why would the King like me?"

Sam chuckled a little at Merlin's apparently sarcastic use of 'King', he didn't realise the warlock had slipped up, and actually addressed him correctly.

"Merlin, don't be so ridiculous," Sam reached across and took hold of one of Merlin's soft, pale hands. "Anyone would have to be mad, or blind and deaf not to love you..." _Hell, I would know, _Sam's heartstrings tugged, and he hoped Merlin couldn't see the pain and longing in his eyes.

"You need to talk to Arthur okay? Promise me you'll talk to Arthur."

"But-"

"Merlin please. Do it-...do it for me yeh?"

The warlock deserved to be happy, Sam couldn't imagine him being sad and heart-broken, the very idea hurt. So even if he couldn't be with Merlin, Sam could at least try and make him happy and help sort things out with Arthur.

Merlin nodded, Sam reminded the warlock of Lancelot at that moment. Others first, self last. The warlock stretched his free hand out and brushed Sam's cheek, and the man leaned a little into the touch, smiling sadly back.

"Thank you Sam. And I'm so sorry…will you forgive me?"

Sam nodded and leaned over to hug Merlin. He held the man close, memorising the feeling of Merlin's arms around him. And then they pulled apart, smiling like friends.

"Well...time for breakfast!" Sam grinned, hiding the pain far too well, and Merlin chuckled.

"Always thinking of your stomach, Walker."

"You know me!"

* * *

><p>"What the- what...no. I can't - no! They must have been together for a while...it explains why Sam decided to up and go travelling all of a sudden! Why did they not-" Kerry was pacing in the kitchen, Arthur watching her with a confused frown.<p>

"How did you not know? You're his sister! And you've known Merlin for years!"

Kerry whirled around and glared at the King. "Well I thought you of all people would know: Merlin is _very good_ at keeping secrets! The question is why?" Arthur raised his hands defensively and went back to eating the bacon sandwich he'd managed to cook all by himself.

"Ooh just wait till they get down here, I'll-" but she didn't need to finish her threat, for at that moment they heard footsteps on the stairs and Merlin's voice. Arthur swallowed his mouthful of bacon, which had suddenly seemed to turn into a tasteless lump in his mouth.

"Oh god I can't be here-" he began, but Merlin and Sam walked into the kitchen (fully dressed now). They stopped at the sight of Arthur in sunglasses, eating a bacon sandwich, and Kerry stood there, _fuming_.

"What. The. Actual. Fuck." her voice sounded like she was dropping a bomb with each word.

Merlin paled. She knew. How did she know?! And why was Arthur looking so intently at his sandwich, and while he on 'whys', why was the King wearing shades indoors? Oh right: he saw the bottle of vodka on the side counter. Speaking of which, his head was still pounding, where was the Alka-Seltzer? He was brought back to the more pressing matter at hand, when Sam spoke.

"Kerry, listen-"

"No you listen!" she hissed, livid. "Why does nobody tell me anything?! Everyone keeps things from me! I'm not a child! I'm the same age as you, almost! How long have you- _were_ you guys together...?" she waved a hand at them, indicating her meaning.

Both men shuffled their feet, and rubbed the back of their necks, clearing their throats. They both spoke at the same time.

"Uh…several months..."

"About a year..."

Merlin's eyes widened as Sam told the truth. Well now he was in for it.

Kerry's eyes popped. "A year and you didn't tell me?! And you, Merlin. I'm sick of you lying to me! You said you weren't even interested in men a few months back. Another fucking lie!"

Merlin felt awful, his insides twisting. How had she found out in the first place? He glanced towards Arthur. He didn't want the King to be hearing this. Now he knew too. What would he think? Well this probably ruined any chance of getting him back.

Kerry saw the look and tried to calm herself down. Shouting wouldn't help matters. What hurt her most was the fact they'd hid it from her. Why on earth had they done that? She wouldn't have minded. And why had they spent the night together last night? She could have sworn that Merlin was too cut up over Arthur.

The King himself was finding this hard to listen to as well. Sam and Merlin. Merlin had been with Sam for a whole damn year? I mean the man had lived for a millennia and a half, obviously he'd have had relationships. But still, it hurt to imagine. Especially now he'd realised his…feelings for the warlock. Arthur rose to his feet, pushing his sandwich away.

"I'm er…" but he couldn't think of an excuse to leave, so he just walked out, deliberately avoiding Merlin's eyes, which were watching him with a pained expression. Sam glanced to his side and saw the torture in his friend's eyes. Well if he'd been trying to reconcile the two, he'd messed it up.

Merlin looked back up to Kerry. "Anything else you'd like to know?" he asked, trembling a little. Kerry opened her mouth, but closed it again with a shake of her head. "Right well then…nice chatting." And he turned on his heel and grabbed his coat from the hooks in the hall before leaving the house. Sam exhaled. Now he had to face the Spanish Inquisition from his sister alone, well at least he could say that he was expecting it.

"Is it true?" she asked immediately.

"What? That Merlin and I were together for a y-"

"No. I mean last night. Did you and Merlin…" she waved a hand.

"Well we didn't go all the-" Sam began sputtering, but he was cut off again by a groan.

Kerry placed her hands over her eyes. "Arthur was going to talk to Merlin last night. It would have all been sorted; they would have finally gotten over everything and talked, and finally admitted their feelings! But he _heard_ you."

"Oh." Sam felt a little sick. That was embarrassing. And it kind of put another spanner in the already messed up works.

"Why'd you do it? Could you not tell? Why'd _Merlin_ do it?! He's supposed to be madly in love with Arthur." Kerry moved her hands to grasp the sides of the counter, looking down at the pattern on the stonework. She glanced up at her brother. Sam's face looked wounded. The last sentence had kind of cut him deep. But Kerry wasn't to know that.

"He is…" he managed to choke out.

"Sorry?"

"He is. He's in love with Arthur. The reason last night happened at all was…in a way because of Arthur. You saw how much Merlin had been drinking at the pub. Well when we got back, he just sort of-…he was emotional, drunk, and cut up over Arthur…"

The dawn of realisation hit Kerry. "Oh! So he does love him…he was intoxicated and needed-…oh Sam." Kerry moved round the counter as she saw Sam's face crumpling, and pulled her brother into a hug. He bent his head to rest on her shoulder as he finally let the sobs take over. She stroked the back of his head in a more motherly fashion than a sisterly one. "How did you know? Surely you wouldn't have let anything happen if you'd known, you're not that dumb."

"No…he said- he said his name." Sam croaked. Kerry felt so bad for the man who was crying onto her shoulder. "I-….I thought that he still loved me…or at least was starting to like me again…" the words were hitched with quiet sobs as Sam's heart broke all over again. But at least this time he had someone's shoulder to cry on. Last time no one had known about them, so he'd had nobody to help him through it.

Sam sniffed then and pulled back. Red-rimmed eyes looked hard into hers. "But it's not like he was using me deliberately. He didn't even remember anything this morning; he wouldn't have dreamed of doing it if he'd not had so much to drink…he was mortified. And-…and he was truly sorry. He felt so guilty. I know he cares for Arthur now. He told me everything this morning. But it's okay now."

Kerry placed a caring kiss on his nose. "Oh Sam, screw Merlin for a moment- ah sorry bad choice of words…but anyway, are _you_ okay?"

Sam took several shaky breaths. "I don't know. I'll be alright."

"You really care for Merlin don't you? What is it about him? Everyone seems to have the hots for that man!" Kerry smiled in a joking manner and placed a soothing hand on his tear-stained cheek.

Sam managed to smile a little and nod. "I know." He took a deep breath. "I've promised myself to help them. We need to get them together. I saw something in Merlin's eyes this morning; he really loves Arthur. And I can see now that Arthur loves him too. Merlin really didn't mean to hurt anyone last night, me or Arthur. Even if he doesn't love me like that, I'm still his friend. And he's still mine. We can't let them just drift apart, hell I've not helped, but I didn't mean to-"

"Hey no. Whoa. You've done nothing wrong – you didn't know. But I agree – we do need to help them, even if it's just to make them friends again."

Sam shook his head. "No. They belong together; they're like two sides of the same coin…"

A smile tugged at the corner of Kerry's lips. "You're sure you want to help?" Sam nodded adamantly. Kerry smiled and pulled him back into a hug. "You're the bestest friend anyone could possibly have. And I'm sure Merlin knows that."

* * *

><p>When Merlin returned that evening, no one asked him where he'd been. Kerry and Sam had decided that Sam shouldn't stay in Merlin's room for the remainder of his visit. It would be far too awkward and painful on Sam's part. So the man ended up having to share a room with Mordred, who was at first a little annoyed at the arrangements, but after a dig in the ribs from Kerry he agreed grudgingly, whilst Kerry shared Merlin's room.<p>

The others were partially aware of what had gone on. They'd heard snippets throughout the day, and were really lost now. So wait – Arthur loved Merlin, and Merlin loved Arthur, but neither had told the other, and Sam also loved Merlin and they'd been a thing, and Arthur knew about _that_ and now things were awkward and Kerry was switching rooms why now? Also they were supposed to be engineering Merlin and Arthur together. Well things had taken an interesting turn in the medieval household.

No one really knew what to say to Merlin now they knew about his secret affair. It wasn't so bad with Sam; they'd only known him for a few days. But finding out that Merlin had recently had a boyfriend for a year and not mentioned it, now or at the time, not even to Kerry, strongly implied he'd had other secret relationships in the past. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but it was strange suddenly knowing all this new information about their friend. He really was a mysterious figure. What else had he not told them?

Merlin himself shrugged off the glances and whispers. He was growing more and more quiet and withdrawn, giving monosyllabic answers to general questions, and making excuses if someone tried to engage in conversation with him.

Arthur on the other hand was volatile. One moment chatting and laughing with Gwaine, and then the next shouting at something or someone for trivial things. The entire household was on edge.

Kerry and Sam were having a hard time trying to think of ways of rectifying matters; the best thing they'd managed to do so far was tripping up Merlin accidentally on purpose near Arthur. The King's quick reflexes had meant that Merlin hadn't fallen to the floor, but had been caught in Arthur's arms.

The tightness of the King's grip, and the look in his eyes told Kerry that he didn't want to let go. It would appear that Merlin didn't want him to either, but both men assumed the other was uncomfortable and pulled away, blushing slightly. Why was this so damn hard?! Why couldn't they just open their eyes? It was infuriating!


	26. The Peace-Making

_**Hey guys, sorry for not posting in a while, I've been really busy, thanks for bearing with me :) Hope you like this bit xxx**_

A week or so of '_oh look, the only available seat is next to Merlin_', and Arthur was stood in the shower, letting the cold water gush over him as he stared into mid-air. Here in the bathroom he could unleash all his pain over Merlin and Sam that had built up during the day, and cry like a baby should the need arise. But the tears wouldn't come as they never did. Instead he seemed to just stare at the tiles on the wall with a dead expression, as the water made him shiver slightly. He'd leave the house if he could, he'd run away and never come back.

But what did he really know about this world? How on earth could he possibly survive on his own out there? He only knew enough to get by living with Kerry and Merlin. But how the hell did he get the kind of money for a home of his own? And what the hell was a 'mortgage'? How was he meant to live without his dollophead? Arthur screwed his eyes shut. He hated everything.

Things had been simpler back in Camelot. Merlin had been his and only his then, although Arthur hadn't noticed or appreciated it at the time. Whenever Arthur had asked for him, Merlin was there, being the best friend and adviser that he'd needed. In fact, whenever Arthur had specifically _not_ asked for him, he'd still been there because the man knew the right times that the King needed company, or a subtle telling off, or just someone to throw things at.

And then he'd gone and died, left the man, abandoned him to years of grief. He wondered momentarily how many 'Sams' there had been in the past to offer Merlin comfort. They'd all been there for him when Arthur couldn't. All the years Merlin had devoted to protecting his worthless life, at great risk to his own. All the sacrifices he'd made, the friends he'd watched die in the years since. Arthur hadn't been there for any of it, or had at least been unaware of Merlin's devotion.

Merlin wouldn't want Arthur now, he didn't need him anymore. With so many new friends, and the odd romance over the centuries, Arthur would have to be an idiot to think that the warlock would want him now. He'd coped all this time without him, and he'd managed fine. Arthur was just an old friend who'd happened to return. He wasn't anything special to Merlin. Not with guys like Sam to compare to.

With a sigh he switched the shower off and stood there letting the water drip down him. The King shivered again and grabbed a towel. Time to face another day of torture.

* * *

><p>Merlin was thinking along the same lines whilst he was crunching on some toast in the kitchen. Why would Arthur care about him? He'd been stupid to hope. Arthur was the King. Arthur was straight. Arthur was...Arthur. He could have his pick of fine women; and even if he were that way inclined, why on earth would he want a guy like Merlin? Gawky, pale, weird cheekbones, <em>ridiculous<em> ears, and he had magic...

The warlock shook his head to himself and wondered briefly when Sam would be leaving. He seemed to be staying a lot longer than Merlin had anticipated, and whilst he enjoyed Sam's company, it was admittedly a little awkward.

And besides, Kerry and her step-brother kept on whispering together conspiratorially. Not to mention the convenient accidents he had around Arthur. And how come there always seemed to be a free seat next to him for the King? It was hard enough to maintain eye contact let alone hold a conversation with the man.

Merlin momentarily wondered whether they were playing Match-Makers, but dismissed the idea. Even if they were, it wouldn't work. They couldn't just make Arthur fall for him, much as he'd like. Merlin had convinced himself that he didn't deserve it; he'd not done such a fantastic job of looking after Arthur's ancestors as he'd have liked. Some had still managed to find trouble, or have trouble find them, despite Merlin's efforts. Furthermore he'd been less than truthful about his past with everyone, and he'd done some things he wasn't proud of. Maybe this was his punishment from the Old Gods.

The warlock shook his head again. There was little point dwelling on it. Nothing good came from moping around, and besides, he'd done his fair share of moping in his time.

Arthur came into the kitchen then, hair damp from a shower. He glanced at Merlin before going over to the fridge. The King rummaged around for some breakfast, not registering the uncomfortable atmosphere, or at least pretending not to. Merlin's heart ached. He wanted to talk to him, reach out and grab his hand, pin him against the fridge and kiss him breathless. But he couldn't, so he remained seated, staring intently at his half cup of lukewarm tea.

* * *

><p>Arthur regretted his cold shower when the next morning he woke with a headache and cold. The other knights tidied the living room as they always did in the mornings, and Arthur then moved onto the sofa with his pillows and duvet. Kerry watched him groaning and sneezing from the doorway, a little plan hatching. She went to find Merlin.<p>

"Hey we're all going to town today, you know, just to have a look round the shops and stuff. Do you want to come?" she already knew his answer but was delighted still when he said it.

"No thanks. I'll be fine here."

"You sure?"

Merlin nodded and went back to reading his book.

"Okay cool we'll leave soon then. Oh and by the way, Arthur's sick, so you'll have to look after him while we're out, okay bye!" and she quickly exited the room, leaving a spluttering Merlin.

Kerry hurried everyone out and was just about to leave herself when Merlin approached the front door where she was standing. His arms were folded and he looked unimpressed.

"Whatever you're trying to do, it's not going to work, Kerry."

Kerry gave him her best innocent face and smiled sweetly.

"It'll be fun, you'll see. We'll get you chocolate. See you later!" and she shut the door.

Merlin heaved a sigh, and rolled his eyes when he heard Kerry and Gwen giggle from the other side of the door.

He stood in the quiet hall for a little longer before taking a deep breath and wandering into the living room.

The television was on, and some history programme was showing, at a very low volume. Arthur was lying on the sofa, resting his eyes and surrounded by a pile of covers and cushions and tissues. His dirty blonde hair was messy and sticking up in all directions, but for once the vain King didn't seem to care - he must be pretty ill indeed then.

"Can-" Merlin cleared his throat, "can I get you anything...?"

Arthur opened his eyes and it seemed to take a while for him to understand what Merlin was asking.

"A hot drink would be nice thanks...where are the others?" he spoke hoarsely as his throat was beginning to feel sore too now.

"Town. They uh...left me to look after you."

Arthur nodded, and winced as the movement hurt his head.

"Would you like some painkillers? Or I could...send you to sleep..."

"Just painkillers." Arthur replied. Merlin nodded once and was about to leave when Arthur spoke up again. "But thanks for the offer..."

Merlin made the King some honey and lemon tea and brought some paracetamol through to him. He put the drink and medicine down onto the end table by the sofa, before placing his cool hand on Arthur's forehead to feel for a fever.

He was stabbed by a sudden flashback of the lake, when he'd gently rested his hand against the dead King's forehead. Merlin pulled his hand back sharply and felt his vision blurring with tears. _Don't cry you stupid fool_ he reprimanded himself. Arthur watched him with curious, albeit tired, eyes. What had caused that reaction? He decided to make a joke out of it, to lighten the atmosphere.

"That bad huh? How long do I have left? Arthur Pendragon, the returned Once and Future King, killed again by a common cold."

Merlin, who had by now caught his breath and calmed himself, managed a weak smile. "You're fine. Just being a wimp is all."

"Is that so?" Arthur rose an eyebrow up at the darker haired man. Merlin smiled again, feeling giddy at the light and friendly banter they were having, almost like old times. Damn it, he couldn't bear it when Kerry was right - he'd never hear the end of it.

He turned to head out of the room once more to let the man rest, but a hand caught his.

"Stay...you know I hate being on my own when I'm ill...no one to fetch me anything…" Arthur smiled weakly.

Merlin swallowed hard and looked down at Arthur's hand grasping his. Was that him trembling, or the King? Arthur misunderstood the expression and dropped the hand. "Or if you have something you need to do you don't have to stay, I don't really care..." he shrugged nonchalantly, reaching for the painkillers, avoiding eye contact.

Merlin shook his head.

"No...I've got nothing else to do..." he slowly looked around for a seat. The armchairs were covered in tissues and books and DVD cases. He was about to use his magic to tidy up a little and create space, when Arthur shifted his legs and covers out of the way and indicated a hand towards the end of the sofa.

Merlin hesitated briefly before taking the offered seat. The King seemed to relax and he shut his eyes once more.

Merlin concentrated on the television. After a while he gave a laugh.

"Well that's not true, he was actually a pretty funny guy!"

Arthur's eyelids fluttered open.

"Huh?"

"King Henry VII."

Arthur looked at the screen and took in a picture of a cunning looking man with greedy eyes and the sound of some woman voicing over.

"He doesn't look it..." he mumbled sleepily.

"Well he was. Rapacious yes, but a good laugh." Merlin grinned fondly.

"That's a big word for you, Merlin. Anyway he obviously couldn't have been as funny as me."

"When were you ever funny?"

Arthur shot a glare and grabbed a pillow from the floor and hit Merlin over the head with it.

"What were you doing buddying up with Henry VII anyway?"

Merlin shrugged. "One of your descendants was a Lord in his court. Not one of the corrupt ones, don't worry."

Arthur nodded slowly, his eyelids drooping once more. But then he suddenly gave an almighty sneeze and accidentally kicked Merlin. In the face.

"Argh! What the f-" Merlin clutched at his nose.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry! Merlin! Are you okay? Oh god you're bleeding!" Arthur was fully awake now. He grabbed the tissues and shuffled over to the warlock who was leaning his head back, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

Arthur placed a tentative hand on the back of Merlin's neck, and with the other he gently raised a tissue to the blood dribbling out.

"How did you even manage that?" Merlin said thickly through his blocked nose, taking the tissue from Arthur's hand.

"I don't know, it was an accident, you know what I'm like when I sneeze!"

"Oh yeh, like that time you were sat at the round table and you sneezed so hard you toppled over backwards in the chair?" Merlin smirked as best as he could.

Arthur chuckled to himself. The Knights and Merlin hadn't ever let him forget that. He looked back at Merlin, who was dabbing at his nose to see if he was still bleeding.

"I'm sorry, I-… I didn't mean to hurt you..." Arthur said softly then. It held a double meaning, and Merlin knew it. The warlock nodded slowly. He lowered his head and Arthur passed him another tissue. The blood had more or less stopped now. Merlin used his magic to clean up the already dried blood and Arthur gave a guilty smile.

"Keep your legs at that end from now on!" Merlin narrowed his eyes at the King's feet. Arthur shuffled around and moved his covers and piles of tissues. He glanced at Merlin beside him, and stifled a yawn. The warlock noticed and reached across to an armchair, grabbing a cushion. He put it against his arm.

"Here, lean on me." Merlin said in a kind voice, and Arthur smiled thankfully, settling down. Maybe now their friendship could begin repairing.

Kerry and the others came back a few hours later, laden with shopping bags. Some were surprised to see Merlin and Arthur sat on the sofa fast asleep against each other, but Kerry wasn't that shocked. Merlin stirred and woke at the sound of the knights, ladies and Sam tramping in, and raised a finger to his lips to silence them. He didn't want Arthur to wake and move away, he was quite comfortable the way they were.

* * *

><p>Arthur slept all day and into the evening, he usually did this when he was ill. Merlin remembered when the King had been ill in Camelot. All he'd need was a good long sleep and he'd be right as rain, and on the rare occasions he could do that, Merlin had always stayed with him. He would sit polishing armour or fixing chainmail at the table, ready to fetch anything Arthur needed should he wake. He also used to watch his friend sleeping so peacefully; he looked so different with the kingdom's worries and pressures gone from his face, the frown he usually wore melted into a tranquil expression.<p>

Merlin remembered one time in particular when Arthur had had a case of the sweating sickness, now known as flu, and had needed to spend several days in bed. The King had not been best pleased, wanting to get on with sorting through important documents and speeches, and most of all training with the knights.

But the man had needed to rest and the warlock had seriously considered using magic to knock him out, just so he would stay in bed.

It had been oddly nice. When the King wasn't sleeping they had chatted and laughed like Merlin wasn't a servant and Arthur wasn't a monarch. But to be honest, when had they ever really acted like a servant and master?

Merlin had sat on Arthur's bed and had diligently cared for him, like the physician's assistant he was, placing cool damp cloths on Arthur's sweaty forehead, and feeding him broths and medicines. Arthur had at one point been delirious with fever, but it was nothing Merlin couldn't handle. The King had muttered about Gwen, his knights, his worries, and had eventually fallen silent. But about an hour later, when Merlin thought it was all over, Arthur whispered his name and a soft, beautiful smile had appeared on the King's face. Merlin hadn't mentioned it to anyone, keeping it locked in his heart all these years. Not even Arthur had remembered it when he'd woken up that afternoon demanding breakfast.

Arthur stirred in his sleep at that moment, pulling Merlin from his reminiscing. The King slowly moved a hand to rub his eyes sleepily, but stayed where he was, curled up against his friend.

"I don't want to get up..." he mumbled, snuggling further into the duvet and against Merlin.

"You don't have to." Merlin replied in a soft tone.

Arthur shuffled a little.

"I'm not hurting you am I?"

"Not a bit, I'm quite comfortable."

"Good." Arthur's hand emerged from the covers and found Merlin's, giving it a light squeeze.

The warlock let out a long breath and sank back into the sofa.

Arthur cleared his sore throat.

"So...you and Sam..." The King felt Merlin's hand tighten in his. But he needed to know. "Do you-...are you guys...?"

"We're not together anymore, Arthur. What went on last week was...well I didn't mean for it to happen. Sam is still my friend, just we don't-...we're not...you know. Last week was an accident. But nothing really happened."

Arthur felt relieved a little. But then he found himself feeling bad for Sam. _Poor guy. I know how he must be feeling._

"Is he alright?"

"God I hope so."

"Are you...?"

Merlin paused for a few moments. He felt terrible for what he'd done; he'd hurt his friend, a man who'd helped to fill a tiny portion of the hole Arthur had left inside him. And Sam did mean a lot to him; his adorable childish grin, his damn brown eyes that surpassed all other eye colours besides Arthur's, the way his hair was styled so that it fell forwards and slightly to the side in a feathered way, glowing orange one moment, then a soft strawberry blonde the next.

"I'll be fine..."

Arthur shifted a little, awkwardly avoiding Merlin's gaze.

"How...how many people...have you um..."

"Had a relationship with? Very few Arthur. Sam was the first in a long while...but Sam's special..." a soft smile played at the corners of Merlin's mouth that Arthur couldn't fail to notice. He knew they weren't a couple anymore, Merlin had just told him that, but he couldn't help a feeling of jealousy flash across his mind momentarily.

"And were all of them..." Arthur cleared his throat again, he felt so awkward asking about Merlin's love life, but he wanted to know, "...men?"

Merlin paused to think back across the centuries.

"No...there were a few girls...one when you were alive, Freya."

Arthur's eyes widened. "You had a-…_girlfriend_ and you never told me? When?" Arthur used the modern term for a female partner uncomfortably, but did it all the same, showing his efforts to adapt.

"It was only a year or so after I started working for you." Merlin swallowed a lump in his throat. "Remember the bastet incident…? Around that time."

Arthur squinted as he tried to remember. "I think so. What happened? How come you never told me?"

Merlin winced involuntarily, "I'd rather not talk about it, if that's okay."

Arthur really wanted to know what had happened then, but he didn't press further. If Merlin didn't want to talk about it, then they wouldn't talk about it.

"Any others?"

"I did marry a girl once..." Merlin rubbed his jaw which was in need of a shave.

"MARRY?!"

"No, no she was one of your descendants-"

"_What_?"

"-and she fell pregnant - the man abandoned her, the bastard. She came to me and told me everything, we were friends obviously. I nearly went out and killed the man myself, but she stopped me. She was a couple of months gone by that point, and people would start to notice sooner or later, and people were less accepting then…anyway I married her and took care of her and the child...but nothing happened between us."

The King was silent as he processed this. Images of a domestic, married Merlin came into his mind; Merlin returning home in the evenings and a small child running to him, clinging onto his legs, a young woman swatting him over the head for saying something stupid but kissing him fondly on the cheek after, Merlin telling bedtime stories to the child, tucked up in bed and Merlin buying birthday presents for his little family.

A soft smiled appeared on the King's lips, as he suddenly realised he wanted all that with the clotpole. Did he feel the same?

Arthur remembered that Merlin was expecting some form of reply or acknowledgement and he managed to nod. "Good man. Thank you for looking after my family, Merlin. I know I've said it before, but you deserve to be thanked every second of the day."

Merlin grimaced. "Please don't. Grovelling really doesn't suit you."

The King chuckled before dissolving into a coughing fit, finished by another violent sneeze; Merlin thankfully dodged the flying elbow.

"Honestly what am I going to do with you?" Merlin sighed dramatically.

"I can think of a few things." Arthur muttered quietly to himself.

"Easy there, tiger," Merlin smirked back. Arthur glanced up at him and he gave a chuckle.


	27. The Diamond of the Day

_**And here you guys go! By the way, I just watched a film called 'Geography Club', and it is exactly like a Merthur high school au – or any slash high school au really, but one of the two main guys looks EXACTLY like Arthur, or at least Arthur in his teen years, he even acts like him and has all his mannerisms, it's scary! And it is beautiful! An absolutely perfect film, go watch it now! Anyway sorry! Hehe hope you like! xxx**_

The relationship between the two boys seemed to be healing, so Sam gracefully took his leave one evening, sending a last sad smile at his sister and the man he loved, before once more setting off on his travels. Maybe he would go to India again.

However, despite the repair to the rift, neither Merlin nor Arthur had confessed their real feelings, and although they were clearly happier and their friendship was pretty much back to normal, there was still something obviously missing. And Arthur was still sleeping downstairs.

During the daytime, the King would smile at Merlin from across the room, but it would be a different kind of smile, one that held something else in the eyes. Merlin would catch the gaze, blush and duck his head, and the King would only smile more. But nothing was said or done. Perhaps they were both worried there would be a repeat of last time.

Merlin had started the necessaries to buy the house down the road. The knights and Arthur couldn't very well camp out on the living room floor forever, especially now since Gwaine and Percival were together; they needed privacy. And Morgana needed a room for herself; the study she was currently in was far too small for a permanent bedroom.

But the unspoken question on everyone's minds was whether Arthur would move out or not. If he and Merlin finally got together, then he would obviously stay. But if they didn't…

It got to a point Percival and Gwaine decided to intervene.

First Percival cornered Merlin and grilled him, getting the warlock to stutter out the confession that alright, alright, yes maybe he did like Arthur more- _okay fine_ a lot more than just friends. Percival spoke with him gently, as was his manner, about doing something then, perhaps he should talk to the blonde about this, and Merlin eventually, rather reluctantly, agreed that he would think about it.

Then both men focussed their attention on talking the King round.

They managed to get him on his own, one Sunday afternoon, when Merlin and Kerry had gone to visit Kerry's mother who lived a few towns away.

"Mate, can we have a word?" Gwaine nodded his head to the empty kitchen, and Arthur nodded, rising slowly from the sofa, placing his coffee on a corner table.

Arthur settled down onto one of the bar stools in the kitchen and clasped his hands in front of him in a business-like manner, not unlike how he used to in his chambers in Camelot when one of his men came to him.

"Fire away." He smiled expectantly up at them.

"It's about Merlin." Percival said, blunt and to the point. Arthur blinked, fazed only for a few moments before quickly masking his expression again.

"What about him? He's not secretly a werewolf too now is he?" He tried to joke about the many secrets Merlin had, and Gwaine rolled his eyes.

"Look, you like him don't you?" His Irish accent had always made him slightly different to the other knights, unique. Arthur had always admired Gwaine's uniqueness.

"Well of course I like him, he was my manservant for years, and he did so much for Camelot, I mean we'd have to be pretty good friends by now-"

"That's not what I meant."

Arthur gulped as he realised the direction this conversation was headed. "I'm not quite sure what you do mean, my er programme's still on in there, can we chat later? Really want to see what happens to Sherlock-"

"Arthur…" One of Percival's eyebrows rose in a way that showed the King he wasn't fooled. Arthur sighed and looked down at his hands.

"I don't like him…"

"Cut the bullsh-" Gwaine started, but Arthur cut him off, not looking up at either of them.

"I don't _like_ him…I-…I think I love him."

Gwaine threw his arms up in the air. "Well praise the gods, he's admitted it! Now go and bloody tell the man!"

Arthur sputtered and finally looked up at them both. "I can't do that!"

Percival groaned. "Why not?!"

"Because…because you don't tell someone you like them, it makes you look like an idiot!"

Gwaine looked like he was about to rip out his own eyeballs. "I swear Princess, I am this close-" Percival punched him and he shut up.

"Look, if I told you that you may have a better chance than you think, would you do it then?" The larger man said gently.

"What do you mean?" Arthur's breathing practically stopped, and he felt his heart hammering in his chest.

"Will you just talk with Merlin? Tell him how you feel. Please?"

"I don't know…"

Gwaine cut into the conversation again then.

"You love this man, don't you?"

"Well…yes."

"Do you wanna hold him?"

"…Yes."

"Please him?"

"Yes."

"Then you got to, got to try a little-"

Percival clamped a hand over his boyfriend's mouth. "That's enough from you, you ass." Gwaine winked at Arthur cheekily and once Percival moved his hand, he muttered quietly to himself.

"Donkey, actually."

Percival rolled his eyes, but placed an arm round Gwaine's waist and pulled him against his body, dropping a kiss on his head of wavy curls, before looking back up at Arthur. "Talk to Merlin okay? Otherwise Gwaine will just carry on."

Arthur smiled weakly and nodded, slowly rising to his feet and retreating back to the living room.

Gwaine watched them both before heaving a sigh. "Gods, they're both dumb."

Percival looked down at him. "Shrek? Really?"

"Hey what can I say? Donkey's character really speaks to me!" Gwaine grinned.

"I wonder why!"

* * *

><p>As it was, it was a few days later that Merlin and Arthur actually got the chance to be alone together. Both men had been receiving pointed glares from Gwaine and Percival and had shrugged them off, making excuse after excuse, but when they were both somehow sent on an errand to the next town together, they finally found themselves in only each other's company. Nothing much was spoken about on the trip. They made light conversation, picked up the few items they needed and got into the car for the journey back.<p>

Merlin was driving as usual; Arthur had been receiving lessons from Kerry for a while, but was nowhere near safe enough to be taking his test yet.

The King had just made the last possible comment he could on the weather, which was quite nice for once, the sun setting slowly and casting all kinds of oranges and pinks over Albion, and both men were now sitting in awkward silence.

After several excruciating minutes, Merlin reached for the radio and flicked it on. A loud blast of some tacky pop song hit them both and they winced. The warlock fiddled with the button, finding a station he liked before he went back to fully concentrating on the road ahead. He slipped into fifth gear as they drove past the sign for the national speed limit, and Arthur gazed out of his window, watching the countryside fly by.

The song that had been playing when they'd first tuned into the station finished and the radio DJ made some comment about the singer's most recent girlfriend, before saying that next one was a special request or something and switching onto another song. It was slower than the last, one that Arthur hadn't heard, but admittedly there were quite a few songs he'd not heard before.

A piano played a short intro, and was soon joined by a guitar.

"_Heart beats fast, colours and promises_…"

Merlin's hands tightened on the steering wheel, and Arthur glanced at him.

"_How to be brave? How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?_…"

The car began to gradually speed up. Arthur looked across at the speed dial. Seventy-five miles per hour…eighty…he wasn't that well-schooled in driving yet, but wasn't the national speed limit sixty on this sort of road?

"_All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow_…"

"Merlin?"

"_One step closer_…" Merlin's hands were visibly trembling as he gripped the wheel.

And then it suddenly hit the King, as the next line sang out clearly to him, to Merlin, to them.

"_I have died every day waiting for you, darling don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more_…"

"Merlin…" Arthur breathed, tears prickling his eyes. He wasn't going to cry, he didn't cry, he was Arthur Pendragon. A simple song would _not_ reduce him to a sobbing girl…

He took several deep breaths and looked over again at Merlin, who was still speeding, hands clinging to the wheel for dear life as his face had taken on a rigid expression as fat droplets trickled down his sharp cheekbones. Was he having a panic attack? A mental breakdown? He was still driving the car.

"_And all along I believed I would find you, time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more_…"

"Fuck." Merlin managed to choke out, and sharply pulled the car into the car park that had been fast approaching them on the right.

Arthur clung onto the car door, his seatbelt, anything he could as the car turned into the car park and abruptly screeched to a halt, across two and a half bays. Merlin desperately fiddled with his belt and then the door handle and practically fell out of the car and began running. Arthur sat still, a little out of breath from the driving, but mostly transfixed as he listened to the rest of the song.

"_One step closer_…"

He suddenly became aware of his surroundings.

They were at the lake.

He felt like laughing, like crying, like shouting, like…like he wanted to find Merlin and tell him. Tell him everything. How much the man meant to him, how he was sorry for everything he had ever done, how much he wanted to hold him in his arms, kiss him senseless, keep him close for the rest of their lives. He would never be split apart from Merlin. Never. He couldn't bear it. He'd rather die than face the rest of the world without him. He, Arthur Pendragon, legendary King of Camelot loved Merlin. And by all the gods, dragons and magic in the land, past, present and future, he was going to tell him that. Nothing was going to stop him. Their entire lives, a thousand and a half years had been building up to this. Arthur could swear he felt the very air around him shaking a little as he stepped out of the car, as if even the earth itself had been waiting for this exact moment.

He knew now. Albion hadn't been waiting for his return; it had all been waiting for Merlin, for Arthur. For them.

He jogged down the path towards where Merlin must have gone; back to the lake, back to where it had all ended and where it had begun.

Little cracks and shimmers of golden lights flickered around him and suddenly he saw a man standing there at the water's edge; a familiar man…Arthur squinted as whoever it was looked down at something long and metallic in his hands. He leaned backwards before throwing it with a lot of force into the lake. A hand reached out, oddly without hardly breaking the water's surface, and caught what could only be Excalibur. The man stared at it for a few moments, and watched the hand slowly take the sword into the depths of Avalon.

He shook his head as he watched the man once more…was that…Merlin? He seemed to be wearing older clothes now…a red neckerchief, a blue shirt…and that scruffy brown jacket. A soft, nostalgic smile played at Arthur lips as he squinted and watched Merlin walk to a boat which had now appeared at the lakeside. The King approached him.

"Merlin…?" He spoke carefully, but the warlock didn't look up at him, as if he'd not heard him speak. He only looked down into the boat. Arthur followed his gaze and saw himself lying there, still, peaceful…dead. Merlin raised a hand and placed it onto his forehead, and Arthur swore he could feel the cool touch of it now as he stood there watching.

Merlin took some shaky deep breaths, as if he was trying to control himself, but the tears spilled over and he bent his head down as quiet, muffled sobs racked through his body. The shuddering of the slighter man's body showed the pure agony and sorrow and he was experiencing, and Arthur realised he had never seen anyone go through this much pain before. Not even Guinevere when her father and brother had died.

Merlin took several much needed gasps for air and Arthur felt tears rolling down his own cheeks. He wanted to hold Merlin, to tell him he was there, he was coming back; Arthur couldn't stand watching Merlin like this.

The warlock, through the desperate sobs, looked over his shoulder at the lake before turning his gaze back down to his best friend. He seemed to regain some composure and rested his hand over Arthur's clasped ones for a moment, before straightening himself. Slowly, Merlin raised his hands to hover over his body, the man was forcibly stopping the tears and sobs for a few moments, and Arthur could tell how hard that was for him to do.

"Arthur…" Merlin whispered to himself and the King felt his entire insides rip apart with pain and grief for this man.

"I'm here, _I'm here_ Merlin!" He choked out, leaning over the boat now too. Merlin shook his head to himself, and Arthur thought maybe he'd heard him.

Merlin was shaking so much now, that it was with great difficulty that he raised his hands further, and stuttered out some words in magic: "_In sibbe gereste". _His eyes flashed with gold, and Arthur was transfixed as he understood what Merlin had just spoken. "With friendship and peace, rest."

The boat silently moved off into the water and Merlin and Arthur turned to watch it go. Merlin's body began to tremble again, but he managed to keep himself composed just a little longer as he solemnly watched Arthur's boat slip into Avalon's mist.

Arthur glanced sideways at Merlin, and with his own tears dripping down his face he placed a hand on his shoulder. It felt strange, like Merlin was there and he could touch him, but at the same time he knew he wasn't really. Arthur couldn't describe it.

"You listen to me, clotpole. I am coming back. I am coming back for you, do you understand? I am here, and I always will be because…" he took a shuddering breath and whispered the last bit, "because I love you so much." A look of bemused peace flickered across Merlin's face, almost like relief. Had he heard him? He hoped to the Gods he had. Even if this past-Merlin thought it was his imagination, or a dream, he had to know that.

And then Merlin began to fade away, flickering back into the past, back into a memory, and the landscape around him changed ever so slightly back to what it looked like now.

Arthur slowed blinked and he glanced around until he saw the man he loved on his knees, a little way off by the shore, in modern clothing, hands clutching the sides of his head as he hunched over shaking and sobbing.

Arthur neared him quietly.

"Merlin…" he murmured, and the warlock looked up at him, eye red rimmed and nose shiny from crying. "Merlin I-"

But the warlock suddenly rose to his feet and pulled Arthur into a very tight hug, burying his face in his shoulder as more sobs shook his smaller body.

Arthur pulled him into an even tighter hug and buried his own face in Merlin's hoody.

"You're here. You're finally here. Oh my god!" Merlin sobbed. "I've missed you so much, Arthur. So so much. I can hardly believe you're here. So long… it hurt so damn much. I know you've been back for ages…but what with recent goings on, I thought I'd lost you…"

Arthur cleared his throat then. "Merlin, I- I'm done pretending." The King pulled back, hands firmly cradling the back of Merlin's head, thumbs stroking those cheekbones. "I know now…I know. I thought I did all those years ago, but now _I know_." His voice broke a little, and Merlin just looked at him, searching into his eyes. "Everything you've done…I know now, for _me_…for Camelot…for the kingdom you helped me build…"

Further tears trickled down Merlin's face as he remembered Arthur saying this to him before in this exact spot, it was burned forever into his memory.

"You'd have-…" Merlin's breathing hitched, "you'd have done it without me." He smiled a little through his tears, as both men remembered this moment.

Arthur smiled that exact same wry smile. "Maybe…" he shook his head a little. No, he couldn't have done it without Merlin. "All those years Merlin. And here we are. The two of us. Everything you did for my family…"

"I did it for you Arthur. Everything I have ever done…has been for you. God, I missed you…" Merlin's lips were trembling, and he glanced down. Arthur wanted nothing more than to capture those lips with his own, but he needed to speak first.

The warlock looked back up into his eyes, and Arthur saw everything in them; Merlin's emotions, the life he'd lived apart from him, the people he'd known, the world he'd walked, _the love he felt_…

Merlin watched Arthur's face as the King looked at him. A soft smile played at the corners of those regal lips, and he patted the back of Merlin's head. It was as if all he wanted to ever do was make him smile, like seeing his useless toad of a manservant upset and in pain was so fundamentally wrong that he had to do something to stop it.

He'd done the same when he had been dying in this very spot, when Merlin had been holding onto him so tightly as he lay there like he'd been trying to hold onto Arthur's life by himself. The King had reached up and patted Merlin's head and smiled.

He'd been glad that Merlin had been there for him, he never wanted him to be sad. Arthur had desperately tried to take some of that pain away, and he'd tried to do so with his smile. He'd told Merlin once that 'no man was worth his tears', and there'd been countless other times the King had picked up on Merlin's despondency and had always tried to do something about it. Just to see that smile again. And in those few precious seconds, that's what he'd tried to do; Arthur had wanted the last thing that he saw, to be Merlin's smile.

Now Arthur looked deep into those eyes and held them steady with his own. He moved his hands round to cup Merlin's face and took a deep breath, before letting it out slowly. "I want to say…something I've never said to you before, Merlin…"

Merlin's eyes watched him steadily and as Arthur partially lost himself in that cornflower blue, he knew in that moment that this was no passing fancy, no mixed up feelings, no petty little thing. This was love.

It was even more than what he'd ever felt for Guinevere. He would not deny this any longer. This was time to tell the truth.

"Merlin," his voice cracked a little as he spoke his friend's name, "I-…I love you." Merlin's eyes widened. Arthur continued. "I love everything about you; I love every fibre of your being, I love your magic, your kindness, your unwavering loyalty, your friendship, your complete stupidity, your incredible intelligence. I love the way you smile at small things, and the way you run your hand through your hair when you're stressed, the way you say a random word of magic in your sleep_,_ I-…_I love you_, my dorky, useless toad of a manservant-"

But he was cut off by Merlin's lips crushing his, and Arthur easily melted into the kiss, no longer hampered with doubts or denial. This was about him and Merlin.

Arthur's lips touched all the years they'd spent apart, kissing away the warlock's pain and heartache, arms wrapping tightly around the slighter body, holding him close. He never wanted to let him go. He felt tears springing to his eyes, ready to join Merlin's. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" he whispered against the warlock's lips.

"You're here now; you're here with me…it's okay." Merlin replied between kisses, and he pulled apart for a gulp of air, and pressed his forehead to Arthur's, not unlike he had all those years ago. "I love you so much, you clotpole. It's taken all this time, and now finally I don't even care how long I've waited anymore, you're here now, and you-…you love me. And I love you. Nothing else matters."

Arthur pressed his lips to Merlin's again and kissed him deeply, trying to show the love he felt for this man, but he could kiss Merlin for a hundred years and still not come close.

"Merlin I will never leave you again, I promise you that. I am going to be right here with you, and face whatever this strange new world throws at us."

"Well you'd better; you wouldn't last two days without me – no one to throw stuff at." Merlin chuckled, wiping the tears from his cheeks. Arthur laughed and both their bodies shook with the deep rumble. He leaned down and touched his forehead to Merlin's again.

"I'm glad we're here, Merlin."

"Me too, dollop-head. Me too."

And they stood there smiling beside Avalon, in each other's arms, completely happy.

_**By the way there will be an epilogue, or maybe a few more chapters, so keep your eye out! :)**_


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